Return From Limbo
by UnKnownSalvation
Summary: A long time has passed since they first left. A heart was broken, a friendship and brotherhood severed, and misunderstandings spreading hatred like wildfire. When the accidental instigator of an incident in Pearl's past that she's been been trying to forget for years returns and had brought her much pain while he also may have brought Armageddon with him, how will the gems respond?
1. Shooting Stars Bring Painful Memories

_**Return From Limbo**_

_**Ch. 1: Shooting Stars Bring Painful Memories**_

**Several years ago…**

In the Crystal Temple, a man proceeded down a long corridor with a sole purpose in mind. When he came to the center of the Temple, he took a look around and saw his allies… his friends… his "siblings".

"Alright, listen up!" a Crystal Gem announced with authority, revealing the man to be a humanoid with green skin, orange spikey hair, a green gem on his forehead, wearing a long, green jacket with a star on the back, a black shirt, dark green pants and a pair of black boots. Every Gem in the room quickly stood in front of him as he addressed them. "As everyone knows by now, we are going to take the battle to the enemy on their own turf!" the Gem reminded his teammates as they gathered around him. Amongst those present was Garnet, Amethyst, and Pearl. "Now while we go with the main force, a few of us will have to stay behind and take care of Rose and Earth. Garnet, Amethyst, and Pearl have kindly accepted the task,"

In the midst of the announcement, a conversation among the three Crystal Gems formed, though for one, she far from happy to hear this decision.

"This isn't right. I should be joining up with the rest of the team," Pearl said in quiet protest. She had already made a fuss about it when she was "volunteered" to stay behind.

"Pearl, we already went over this," Amethyst reminded her friend. "Some of us have to stay behind and look after this planet and Rose, especially in her condition,"

"Amethyst is right," Garnet spoke with her usual serious demeanor. "We have to be ready in case something happens," Pearl didn't like it but she had to accept it.

"...Alright, I understand." Pearl reluctantly agreed. "I just hope that everyone returns safe from their mission."

"You worry too much, Pearl," Amethyst attempted to cheer up her friend. "Look at it this way; we get the all-important duty ***snicker*** of protecting Earth," Amethyst said trying not to laugh because of her own immaturity. Pearl, for her part, pondered for a moment, thinking what her friend just said to hear; after a moment, she sighed before turning her attention to Amethyst.

"I guess that is a good thing," Pearl agreed. As the gems continued to talk, another of the gems was looking on as he left the room. He had a look of shame on his yellow face as his vision focused on Pearl, who was unaware of his gaze. The gem then followed his gem teammates out the door and stepped on the teleport pad before disappearing towards their destination.

* * *

**Present Day...**

It was a beautiful, starry night at Beach City, especially near the Crystal Temple, home of the Crystal Gems and Steven Universe, the newest member of the team. But for Pearl, it was anything but a pleasant night for her; whenever she had the chance, Pearl would often come out and stand atop the cliff to view the ocean, before looking up at the sky, as if waiting for something to show up any second now.

'_Where are you? It shouldn't have taken this long,' _Pearl thought as she scanned the night sky, looking for anything.

"He isn't coming back, you know," the voice startled Pearl, causing her turn around and see Garnet behind her, straight faced and serious as always. "It's been a long time. Even you have to doubt he's still alive,"

"I'll admit I'm not so sure whether he made it out alive," Pearl confessed to her friend, before she took a deep breath before explaining. "But until I see proof of his demise, I'm going to hope for the best."

Garnet nodded her head in response, understanding Pearl's reasons. She herself also hopes for not only his survival but all her comrades, but after so many years had passed, she eventually had to accept that the chance of any of them coming back alive is slim to none.

Suddenly, Garnet, as well as Pearl, spotted something coming out of the sky. It looked like a shooting star as it passed over the sky, with a bright tale following behind. Though as the star continued to fall, it appeared to get bigger and seemed to be heading straight for the temple. Eventually, the shooting star slammed straight towards the beach, creating a loud explosion in the process, alerting those who heard it, and leaving a huge crater in the beach.

"Guys, what happening?!" asked a startled Amethyst as she ran out of the beach house and went out to check up on her friends, alongside Steven. "What's attacking us now?!" She said as Garnet and Pearl finally meet up with them, a few dozen meters from the crater.

"Where did that come from?!" Steven nervously asked the Gems as they all ran to the crater.

"Steven, stay back! We don't know what that thing is yet!" Pearl instructed sternly, making sure Steven didn't have any chance to be harmed. Steven listened as he took a few steps back as the Gems inspected the crash site. The bystanders who were awoken by the explosion were showing up as well.

"Stand back people! This is Gem business here!" Amethyst informed the crowd, as she, along with her teammates, made their way to where the "shooting star" landed. Everyone simultaneously took five steps back, expecting the worse.

Upon their arrival, the trio gasped in surprise; within the impact crater was an unconscious Crystal Gem laying on the ground, surrounded by a bubble that most likely absorbed most of the impact before disappearing right before their eyes shortly afterwards. The gem had blue hair that seemed to stand up on its own, yellow skin, an orange hoodie, purple pants with two yellow gems sticking out of both sides of his hips, and blue shoes. His clothes were badly torn and he seemed like he was attacked by a soot monster, as he was not only covered in dust and dirt, but he had some cuts on his legs and arms that had some yellow blood coming out of them. The moment they saw the unconscious Gem, it didn't took too long for any of them to realize who it was.

"Is that who I think it is?" Amethyst finally asked, still in a state of shock.

"Y-Yes Amethyst, it is who you think it is." Pearl replied, a bit shaken upon seeing the figure.

"Right now, we need to get him to the Crystal Temple," Garnet insisted, to which her teammates agreed, before Garnet jumped into the crater and slung the gem onto her shoulder and jumped back out. "He's still breathing," Garnet informed her friends, as the three quickly rushed to the temple with the unconscious gem while a confused Steven tried to keep up with them.

"Hey guys, what's going on?!"

But the trio didn't answer his question right away, as they still continued to head to the temple. Pearl span the star on the door around, changing the gem colors from the normal ones to five new ones; yellow, green, blue, light red, and white before they quickly opened the door to rush him inside, with Steven following them in before the door closed right behind him. The room was orange in color and was quite bright. Three targets of various sizes hung on the wall while a wooden dummy coated in armor that was covered in what looked like slash marks. A few sword racks were up against the wall with each slot filled with a different sword. A hammock was hung from two crystal poles in the room that led out of the room.

"Lay him down on the hammock," Garnet instructed her teammates, as Pearl and Amethyst carefully helped her set the gem down gently.

"Amethyst, get me a medical box right away!" Pearl ordered, to which her friend nodded her head and made her way to the nearest container, before she opened it and retrieved the medical box from within.

"Got it, Pearl!" Amethyst announced her presence, before handing her teammate the medical box. Without any hesitation, Pearl opened it up and took a few bandages on the most injured parts from the unconscious gem, his legs and his lower arms.

Steven, meanwhile, could only look on as the Gems did their best to heal the stranger up, expressing both confusion and concern. Not only was he looking at another crystal gem… but this one was male like him; something he never saw before. After continuing to stare at the unconscious gem for a few more minutes, Steven finally decided that he needed some answers right away.

"Guys…" Steven began, as the gems were finished patching up the stranger. "Who is he? Why is he a Crystal Gem? Do any of you know him?" Steven said quickly as he was eager to learn as much as he could about the gem laying in the hammock. But the moment Steven began to ask, however, he noticed that the trio's expression were anything but happiness, much to his surprise.

"Was it something I said?" Steven finally asked with uncertainty.

"No, it wasn't," Pearl replied. "But if you must know, this here is Topaz; the last person I wanted to see," As Pearl answered Steven's question, her tone and demeanor suddenly became dark, as an expression of pure disdain for this gem came to her face.

"He's a troublemaker like me, though some of the stuff he does is more questionable than what I do," Amethyst explained with a tone of annoyance, as if she was speaking from a past experience.

"But he's also loyal to the gems," Garnet concluded.

As Steven listened on, he took note on the expression from the gems; of the three, Pearl showed the most change in her personality, Amethyst seemed a bit indifferent while Garnet was hard to read, as she always maintained her stoic personality. The only thing that Steven was able to catch on was their tone regarding Topaz, speaking about him in some negative way, though Garnet's response was the only one that didn't leave him mystified.

'_I wonder what Topaz did to get on their bad side?'_ Steven thought.

As he pondered about this, the unconscious gem that was lying on the hammock suddenly began to stir before opening his eyes, before he realized where he was and got up quickly and began to speak with a sense of urgency.

"Where's Emerald?! Is he okay?! Did he come through with me?! What about the others?!" Topaz frantically demanded.

The gems, as well as Steven, were taken aback by Topaz waking up out of the blue and speaking very quickly that it took a second for everyone to process what was going on. Topaz's sudden waking in his hammock caused it to turn over, sending him crashing to the floor face first.

"Hang on, I gotcha!" said Steven, as he immediately rushed towards Topaz and helped him up to a sitting position.

"Thanks, kid." Topaz thanked Steven, before he got a quick glimpse on what appeared to be a gem embedded on the boy's stomach, much to his surprise. "Kid, where did you get that gem?" Topaz asked as Steven looked at the gem's yellow eyes.

Before Steven could answer Topaz's question, Pearl suddenly responded first, but in less than calm manner, prompting Topaz to turn his attention to her.

"First of all, this is Steven and second, he got that gem from his mother, Rose! Does that answer your question?!" Steven was in shock as he rarely ever saw Pearl lose her cool this quickly.

Likewise, Topaz was just as shocked, his eyes widen in surprise, never expecting that the kid in front of him was Rose Quartz's boy.

While Topaz tried to process the information, Pearl, meanwhile, continued to look at Topaz with disdain, wanting him to stay from Steven as far away as she could take him. But still, Pearl decided to restrain herself for the moment, before she turned to the young boy.

"Steven, we should talk somewhere more private," Pearl informed him, as she escort the boy out of the temple.

"Agreed," Garnet simply said, before she, along with Amethyst, followed Pearl, leaving Topaz alone. Topaz sighed as a smirk came to his face.

"Good to be home again…" Topaz's tone sounded far from happy though. Topaz then took a look around his room. "It's dusty in here... Achoo!"

* * *

After the Crystal Gems finished escorted Steven back to his room and making sure that the door behind remained shut for the evening, Steven immediately turned to face them, with a serious look on his face as he spoke.

"What's gotten into you guys?! Why are you treating Topaz like he's some criminal?! He's a Crystal Gem just like you!"

The trio didn't respond to Steven's question right away, uncertain how to answer his question. Eventually, after a long silence, Pearl was the first to respond.

"Steven, there are some things that you're too young to understand,"

"Plus, the past isn't exactly easy to talk about," Amethyst added.

"Some things are best left untold," Garnet simply concluded.

"I don't care what Topaz did in the past! Whatever he did wrong, he deserves another chance!" Steven insisted, which hit a strong nerve in Pearl.

"If we said we don't want to talk about, we won't talk about! Can't you understand that?!" Almost immediately, Pearl realized what she had done, as she saw the hurtful expression from Steven, upset that she just snapped at him. "I… I'm sorry, Steven…" Pearl said remorsefully.

For a while, there was a long, dead silence in the room, as neither Steven nor the Crystal Gems said another word to each other, before the former spoke after what felt like a long time.

"Can I at least talk to Topaz?"

"No can do, Stevie," Amethyst replied.

"But why?" Steven asked perplexed.

"We'll need to get some answers out of him once he's healed up," Pearl informed him. "Then he has to leave,"

"What?!" Steven was shock to hear that last part. "But where will he go?!"

"I don't know and I don't care," Pearl darkly stated. "Just as long as he stays far away from the temple!"

"But-" was all Steven could say, before Garnet raised her arm and spoke up.

"That's the end of this discussion," Garnet told him, before she and her teammates turned and went back inside the temple, leaving Steven in his room all alone.

"What do I do now?" Steven asked himself. "I need to help Topaz out before it's too late," He paced himself back and forth, pondering on what to do, until an idea came to him.

"Of course! I need to get inside, get Topaz, and take him somewhere safe!" Steven declared, before something else came to mind as he stared at the door. "Now… how do I do that?"

* * *

**The next day…**

Steven sat down on the couch, watching TV, as he ate some chips and at the same time, trying to figure out on helping Topaz out, waiting for any opportunity. The rest of the gems were walking into the house, fresh off of business on the other side of the world. Just then, the show he was watching was suddenly replaced by the news.

"We interrupt this program for a special bulletin! There appears to be some sort of twenty foot tall red dog...man...monster rampaging Beach City! Citizens are told to evacuate from the area until further notice!" The footage then cut to the beast picking up a car with one hand and chucking it like it was nothing. The beast was all blood red as it had a head of a dog on a human-like body with strange tubes running up and down it.

The moment the announcer said those words, the gems, as well as Steven, are alarmed to hear this, especially for the former, since they had just gotten back from taking care of another matter.

"You got to be kidding me!" Amethyst complained. "We just got back!"

"This is no time to complain, Amethyst!" Pearl scolded her friend. "We need to get to Beach City and stopped that monster before it's too late!" Pearl then turned to Steven. "Steven, you are to stay here; am I understood?"

"Sure Pearl," Steven replied. "In fact, I don't feel like going out today," Pearl was stunned. Steven; the adventure child of Beach City, didn't feel like going to save the day. Pearl knew he was up to something.

"Pearl! We need to go!" Garnet shouted from the doorway before Pearl could ask Steven about what he was planning. Reluctantly, Pearl follow her friends outside, leaving Steven on his own.

"Alright, it's time to get Topaz out!" Steven declared as he smile widely.

**Five minutes later…**

Steven was becoming impatient, as he made another futile attempt to open the door, which was now covered in grease, had various broken crowbars stuck in it, and had a few jackhammer dents.

"Ugh! If only my gem worked!" Steven shouted in frustration as he pulled up his shirt and stared at the lifeless gem. Steven then turned to look back at the door, frustrated that it remained tight shut. "Why won't you open?!"

As if to answer his question, the star on door began to spin around, showing off five different color gems, none that Steven recognized, before it unexpectedly opened by itself, revealing Topaz in front of the shocked boy, as he slowly limped his way out of the temple.

"Morning, Steve," Topaz said kindly as if they had been friends for years. He then saw the mess around the door. "Whoa… What happened here?"

"That's not important!" Steven quickly replied. "Right now, I need to take you somewhere else before the Gems get back!"

"Speaking of which, where are they?" Topaz asked out of curiosity.

"They went off to Beach City to take care of some giant dog monster." Steven explained, causing Topaz's eyes to widen in curiosity.

"Can you tell me what the monster looked like?" Topaz said in a serious tone as he got down to one knee to look the boy in the eyes. Steven was a bit perplexed but didn't see anything wrong with telling him about the monster.

"It was red… had a dog's head with a really ripped guy's body… was really tall…" Steven said as he tried to remember all the details about the monster. "Oh and it had these weird glowing tubes going up and down its body!"

"Oh no..." Topaz muttered, horrified to hear this. "Steven, I need you to take me there right now before it's too late! It's a matter of life and death!"

Steven was a bit taken aback the moment Topaz spoke to him like that, but hearing the tone of Topaz voice, in addition to the expression on his face, was enough to convince the boy that he knows what he's talking about.

"O-Okay, Topaz, I'll take you there right now!" Steven agreed, before he, alongside Topaz made their way to the door before Steven gave Topaz a stick to use as a crutch. The two then left through the door of the beach house and making their way to Beach City.

* * *

Fighting this giant dog monster proved to be anything but simple; in fact, they barely made a scratch on him since they arrived to defuse the situation. Garnet's punches seemed inefficient, Amethyst whip caused a few scratches but nothing useful, and Pearl's spear was the only one that seemed to cause any damage as she did manage to stab him with it though the wound wasn't very deep. No matter how much they tried, the giant dog monster was more amused than in agony.

"What's the big deal?! We should have taken him down by now!" said an irate Amethyst.

"He's not like any monster we've fought," Garnet commented.

"We can still take him down!" Pearl insisted. "We just need to come up with a plan,"

"Then you better come up with one, because he's heading straight towards us." Amethyst quickly informed her teammate, as the giant dog monster was running head on towards them. The three quickly got out of the way as the monster just kept on running until him ran straight through a brick wall and came out like it was nothing.

"Is this the best you three got?" the giant dog monster mockingly asked. "I was expecting a lot more from the Crystal Gems!"

"Oh great, I was hoping he was another one of those mindless idiots we get so often," Amethyst complained.

"Now's not the time, Amethyst!" Pearl reminded her friend.

"We have to stop him right here and right now!" Garnet ordered.

Agreeing with each other, the Crystal Gems rushed towards the giant dog monster, armed with their chosen weapons. But the giant dog monster, however, anticipated their actions and met them head on, launching a wave of fists, pummeling them down one by one, before all three were laying on the ground, barely conscious and too injured to move.

"Any last words before you three meet your demise?" the giant dog monster asked.

"Hey Fido!" a voice called out, before whistling from behind, prompting the monster to turn around and saw Steven and Topaz, the latter using a stick as some sort of crutch. "Come here, Fido! I've got a treat for you!" The monster, however, let out a laugh upon seeing them.

"What're you going to do? Three Crystal Gems couldn't take me down and they weren't in bandages AND a crutch! And what's tubby gonna do? Eat me?" Topaz smirked as he handed Steven the stick before putting his hands to his gems. Pearl and the others looked on, perplexed at what Topaz was doing.

"I wouldn't trust your eyes if I were you. They'll only tell you lies..." Topaz said calmly with his eyes closed.

With that, Topaz's gems began to activate, before he pulled two heavily curved shorts swords out. The blades were orange with a pink line running up the middle of each blade. The handles were blue with purple straps around them. Topaz combined both his swords together at their grips, merging them into a bow before he spun it around with his left hand, finishing with a yellow bow string appearing to complete the weapon.

"Aw, isn't that cute! You made a wittle bow! You think your puny arrows are gonna hurt me?!" the beast laughed at Topaz which caused the gem to start to laugh as well, confusing his fellow gems

"Of course I don't think that!" the monster stopped laughing before looking at Topaz perplexed. "But then again… that was never my intention to begin with!" Topaz got serious as he grabbed the handles of the two swords and spun them till they faced in opposite directions before spinning around in his right hand, turning the bow into a buzz saw. "I said I had a treat for you, Fido… Well HERE YOU GO!" Topaz shouted as he chucked the spinning saw blades at the creature.

"You think that will stop me?!" the monster shouted in defiance as he attempted to grabbed the blades with his bare hands. He managed to stop the blades… for about half a second. "AHHHH!" the beast shouted as he was ripped clean in half before turning to dust.

As the weapon is flown right back towards Topaz, Steven remained speechless, amazed that someone like Topaz took down a giant monster in a matter of seconds. Eventually, though, the young boy began to finally speak up.

"That was the most amazing thing I have ever seen! You took down that monster like it was no problem!" Steven shouted with excitement, before Topaz suddenly fell down onto his knee, in pain. "Topaz, are you alright?!"

"I-I'm fine, though the same can't be said for my leg," Topaz replied, assuring Steven with a smile.

"Steven, are you alright?!" Steven turned around and saw Garnet, Amethyst and Pearl making their way towards him, despite the injuries they sustained minutes ago.

"I'm fine, thanks to Topaz," Steven assured the gems, before the three turned their attentions towards him.

"Thanks for the help," Garnet thanked Topaz.

"Yeah, I guess we owe you big." Amethyst stated.

"But this doesn't change anything!" Pearl added. "How could you put Steven in danger by bringing him here?!" Pearl demanded an answer.

"Oh, c'mon Pearl! He just saved your life!" Steven berated Pearl, upset by her lack of gratitude.

"Steven… stop," Topaz said calmly. Steven was surprised as the guy he was defending was telling him to stop. "No matter what _you_ say to her, it's not going to change her mind," Steven could look down on the ground, before Topaz spoke again. "But thanks for the help anyway. I appreciate it," Topaz said lightly with a reassuring smile that made Steven feel better.

Pearl, meanwhile, continued to stare at Topaz with disgust, before turning to her teammates.

"Let's get back home right now. The sooner the better," With that, the gems turned and walked to the opposite direction, before something else came to mind. "Why did _he _have to come back?" she quietly said to herself.

"Come, Steven," Garnet said simply but none of them checked to make sure he did… or they could have done it intentionally.

"Steven, can you hand me the stick?" asked Topaz, prompting the boy to pick it up and handed it to him, before Topaz used the stick to regain his composure. "Thanks."

"Anytime Topaz," said Steven, before he remembered something. "Is it alright if I take you somewhere safe? You still don't appear to be welcomed at the Crystal Temple."

"What do you have in mind?" Topaz asked out of curiosity, causing Steven to hesitate for a moment, before he took a deep breath and offer his answer to him.

"It's not much, but there is one place…"

**I hope you all enjoyed my first chapter and my OC Topaz! **

**It's probably nothing impressive to anyone but please do tell me how I did if you could! I won't get better at writing if I don't know what I'm doing right and wrong.**

**Till whenever I update again, Sal out!**


	2. The Uncooperative Topaz

_**Ch. 2 The Uncooperative Topaz**_

Topaz was quite surprised when Steven took him to the place that he had in mind. While the yellow Crystal Gem knew that it wouldn't be a fancy place, he never imagined it to be a car wash, with the sign aptly titled 'It's A Wash'. Why Steven would take him here is a mystery and one he hope the kid could explain.

"Oh why don't I have a good feeling about this?" Topaz said with a nervous smile as he looked around the car wash, still using the stick Steven gave him as a crutch. Suddenly, Topaz heard Steven banging on a colorful van with the name "Universe" plastered on the side. Topaz eyes grew wide as he remembered who lived in that van. "You brought me to Greg's place?" Topaz asked as he sighed heavily. Suddenly, said Greg busted out of the back of the van, with a frying pan in tow.

"Alright punks, I got a pan and I'm not afraid to use it!" Greg warned, raising his frying pan to confirm his threat and strike down any and all punks, only to see no one in his sight. Puzzled, he turned around and saw his son on top of his van, no doubt the one who woke him up, before turning his attention to a Crystal Gem he doesn't recall seeing. Or at least, that's what he thought until a few seconds later, when he realized who it is.

"Topaz, is that you?" Greg said quietly in shock. Topaz was also in shock at how crappy Greg looked.

"Geez Greg… what happened?" Topaz chuckled as he looked at the poor man. "You've gone from one man rock band to… hairy car wash owner?"

"Well...that's what I get for not doing many shows in Beach City," Greg sheepishly replied, as he rubbed his head. "But if any good came out of it, it would have to be meeting Rose!"

"True…" Topaz said simply with a smile.

"But what are you doing here, Topaz? And what happened to you?! You look like you've been thrown through a meat grinder!" Greg exclaimed as he pointed to Topaz's ripped clothes. Topaz looked at his clothes and realized that they did look like they were ready to come apart.

"Another time, perhaps," Topaz looked away from Greg and Steven as he answered. The memories weren't exactly cheery and Topaz didn't want to drag them out.

"Dad, can Topaz stay here for a while?" Steven asked his father, changing the subject. "Topaz isn't on any good terms with the Crystal Gems right now, especially Pearl,"

"I'm… aware, Steven," Greg quietly spoke with a down look on his face. Being so close to Rose, he would have heard about it at least once.

"You do?" Steven asked in surprise. He didn't expect to hear this from his father.

"Let's change the subject, shall we?" Topaz said quickly, not wanting to bring up old wounds. "What have you been up to, my friend?"

"The usual: washing cars for a living whenever I can," Greg replied, trying to lighten up the atmosphere. "It's not much, but better than nothing. You?"

"Sliced a 20 foot tall monster down the middle with a giant buzz saw blade," Topaz said in a nonchalant voice, almost as if it was nothing at all. Though once he saw Greg's expression, he started to laugh. "Hahahaha! You always made the funniest faces when I told you stuff like that!" This caused Greg himself to start to chuckle as he realized what Topaz wanted. "Thanks Greg; I needed that laugh."

While Topaz and Greg were giving themselves a good laugh, Steven, on the other hand, couldn't help but smile, as he had never seen Topaz with a smile on his face. It was the first time that he saw the Crystal Gem in a good mood.

'_Now that's more like it,'_ Steven thought, until something else occurred to him. _'Last night, he mentioned something…'_ Steven then thought back to last night when Topaz first woke up,_ "Where's Emerald?! Is he okay?! Did he come through with me?! What about the others?!" I wonder what that was about.'_

"Topaz…" Steven began, prompting both Topaz and Greg to stop what they were doing and turned their attentions to the young boy. "Sorry if I sound rude, but you mention Emerald and something about others last night. What did you meant by that?" Topaz gasped quietly as a flood of bad memories came back to him. Topaz looked down at the ground and was silent for a while, causing the scene to become quite awkward. It would remain like this till Topaz finally spoke again.

"Greg," Topaz addressed him without looking away from the pavement. "Get Steven a chair, please. Maybe one for yourself if you want to join in," Topaz asked in a very serious tone but he remembered to have manners when asking.

Greg nodded his head and oblige to Topaz's request, as he went inside the car wash, leaving just Steven and Topaz outside standing near the van.

'_I didn't expect that,'_ Steven thought, perplexed by what just occurred, never expecting a dark reaction from Topaz and his father. Topaz limped over to the back of the van and sat down in it before taking a deep breath and sighing. He hesitated before speaking; trying to make sure he had the right words.

"Steven, have you ever thought of the possibilities of Crystal Gems having any siblings?"

"...No, it never crossed my mind," Steven answered honestly, as he wasn't so sure if Crystal Gems even had families to begin with. Just then, Greg showed up with a chair for his son to sit on.

"Steven, are you sure you want to learn more about this?" asked Greg, unsure if Topaz should be saying what he's about to say, as he set up the chair for his son.

"Greg, I've already got him thinking," Topaz argued calmly. "If I don't tell him here and now, he'll just pester the others about it," Greg had to admit that it was a bit late now.

"Alright, I understand," Greg simply said, as Steven sat down on the chair before Topaz took a deep breath to begin his explanation.

"Now… where to begin…?" Topaz said as he rubbed his chin before knowing just where to start, "Emerald was one of the best fighters the Crystal Gems ever had before you were born... _LONG_ before you were born." Topaz emphasized, making sure Steven understood. "Taking down monsters thirty times his size without help was considered normal. He was your mother's second-in-command, sometimes taking over for her when your mom was unable to. He and I were even best friends at one point,"

"Wow! That's so cool!" Steven exclaimed as he heard about this new Crystal Gem. "He sounds like one awesome guy!" Topaz chuckled at the boy's innocence.

"That's... not the most interesting part…" Topaz said with a smirk as he looked away with his eyes closed, much to Steven's curiosity. "Emerald… was Pearl's twin brother…"

Steve's jaw almost dropped to the pavement, his body stiffened and his eyes widen in surprise. He never thought that Pearl of all people would even have a sibling. It was the last thing he was expecting to hear from anyone, anywhere today.

"That's...so…awesome! I didn't even know that Pearl has a brother! That's amazing! I'm betting those two got along great!" Topaz was taken aback by the immense amounts of enthusiasm from Steven.

"He's definitely your kid, Greg," Topaz commented with a smile.

"Yeah… yeah he is," Greg agreed as he chuckled. "Anyway, continue on with your story,"

Topaz nodded his head, before turning his attention towards Steven. But before he could resume where he left off, Steven cut him off, asking him a question on the spot.

"Is Emerald the reason why the Garnet, Amethyst and Pearl don't like you that much?" Topaz was a bit thrown off by the question but recovered quickly.

"...Not exactly, Steven," Topaz replied, despite his hesitation. "It's just that…Emerald and I…"

Topaz hesitated once more, unwilling to talk further at this point. At the same time, however, Steven really wanted to know and he did promise the kid that he would explain everything… eventually. With that in mind, Topaz took a deep breath and resumed his explanation.

"Emerald has nothing directly to do with the Gems being less than friendly to me. The only ones involved were me and..." Topaz stopped himself suddenly, realizing if he mentioned anything, he would just pester the other one in the equation.

"What's wrong, Topaz?" Steven asked, noticing the Crystal Gem's hesitation. "If it's what I said earlier, then-"

"It's nothing…" Topaz said, cutting Steven off, "It's just that it's not time yet for the full truth to come out," Topaz explained. "I'll tell you more when the Crystal Gems and I are in good terms again."

"Okay, I understand," said Steven simply before a determined look came to his face. "We'll just have to make them forgive you!"

Topaz and Greg were both bewildered by Steven's response, before the former turned his attention to the latter.

"And a bit of Rose to boot," Topaz stated his observation.

"Not going to argue with that," Greg simply said, before turning his attention to his son. "Steven, how are you going to do that? From what I've learned, the Crystal Gems seem rather stubborn to forgive him."

Steven took a deep breath and for a while, appeared to have come up with a plan. But after a minute or so, the young boy could only sigh and looked down on the floor in defeat.

"Alright, I'll admit I don't have anything," Steven admitted, causing Topaz to chuckle.

"Don't worry Steven. I'm sure you'll think of something," Greg assured his son with a smile.

"If you are able to find a way, then I'm quite grateful for the help." Topaz happily stated. "And if we can't think of anything, then we'll just have to make everything up as we go along!"

Both Steven and Greg nodded their heads in agreement with Topaz's statement, before Greg helps Topaz inside the car wash so that he can make a recovery, before turning his attention to his son.

"You want me to drop you off to the Crystal Temple?"

"Thanks for the offer, dad, but I know they way. Besides, I think Topaz needs help the most."

"Alright Steven, I understand. Well, see you tomorrow then,"

"You too dad," said Steven, before his dad and Topaz went to the car wash, while Steven made the long walk home, just as the sun was about to set.

"So where am I staying?" Topaz asked Greg who began to ponder.

"A tent on the roof?" Greg purposed sheepishly, causing Topaz to sigh.

* * *

It was at least several minutes since he left his father's workplace, but as far as Steven was concerned, time didn't matter, as the young boy finally made his way back to the Crystal Temple safe and sound and just in time. As Steven made his way inside the beach house, he suddenly found himself being pulled into a hug by Pearl, who had a rather panic look on her face.

"Steven! Thank goodness you're safe!" Pearl then put Steven down, before giving him a serious look. "Where have you been?! Garnet and Amethyst are out there looking for you, while I stayed behind in case you came back! Do you know how worried we were?!"

"I'm sorry Pearl… I didn't know it would worry you that much…" Steven twiddled his thumbs as he was genuinely sorry that he worried them so.

"Well after what happened today with that monster, we didn't want to risk another one appearing and possibly harming you," Pearl explained why they would be so worried, before she noticed one person that wasn't with Steven. "Where's Topaz?"

"I took him to stay at my dad's workplace. I want to make sure that he has somewhere to stay where he would feel comfortable," Steven truthfully said to Pearl.

"I didn't expect him to find a place this soon and it's only been for a day," Pearl muttered under her breath, before shaking her head. "It doesn't matter. As long as Topaz isn't here, then I'm fine with that."

"Pearl, why do you hate him so much?" asked Steven, even though he won't get a straight answer out of her.

In response, Pearl stopped dead in her tracks, not answering Steven's answer right away, as she turned around, took a deep breath and eventually offered him her answer.

"Steven...there are something I really don't want to talk about at all. If you like Topaz, then I'm willing to live with that. Just don't bring up anything about him. That's all I'm asking for."

"C'mon, Pearl! Just at least tell me why! I'll even listen this time," Steven pleaded.

"No, Steven, I don't want to talk about it, especially this late. Now if you don't mind, I'm going to let Garnet and Amethyst know that you're back home," Pearl adamantly insisted, as she head to the entrance of the temple, before stopping and turned to face Steven. "Don't listen to what Topaz says. After all, he's quite the Trickster."

"Wait, what do you mean by that?" asked Steven, but by then, Pearl already made her way into the temple, leaving Steven on his own to figure out Pearl's last statement. Steven spent the rest of the day and night trying to think of a plan of what to do next. Though he could only think of one thing to do…

He had to rip the truth out of Topaz...

**A/N: Me again! And this time I proofread it myself! Yay!**

**This is just something I like to do: Answering Guest Reviews:**

**Awesome: Personally, I'd rate Pearl at 2****nd**** favorite character. Garnet is mine simply because I've always loved comically serious people. I even know a couple of them myself and their riots just to watch when the craziness starts. They fit into almost **_**any situation**_** you can think of without taking away from it! From silly and stupid to dramatic and serious! The next two would be Steven coming in at 3****rd**** and Amethyst at a close 4****th****. 5****th**** I'd say… Lars after Bubble Buddies. His facial expressions: Nuff said.**

**I like writing in the Steven Universe… universe though I wish I knew more facts to work with like,**

**How old is Steven?**

**Do the Crystal Gems require eating, sleeping, bathroom breaks, etc.? If so, do they get any benefits like maybe sleeping accelerates healing (They can shape shift into anything their minds can think of. Hell they don't even need to **_**fully **_**transform. Accelerated healing due to sleeping would be par on the course in comparison.)**

**How common are males in the Crystal Gems? (I'm going on the assumption it's about 1/5. 20% Male, 80% Female.) **

**Other than that, I have no real complaints. I chose to write this early in the series, I'll take that bullet to the foot with gusto! But I am glad that some of you went along with the ideas I did add like: The spinning star, opening the routes to more rooms. Topaz himself (he's technically a contradiction until it's canon that male full blooded Crystal Gems aren't impossible) though I'm not sure how Emerald is going to go over…**

**That's really all I've really got to say at this point in time. I will be trying to update this story on a bi-weekly to tri-weekly basis but I make no promises. I may be able to write one of these with my friend NeoNimbus in about two to three hours but I need a week just so when I read it again, I can go "Da hell was I thinking?!" and spot mistakes easier. One last thing: The "T" rating might not make sense now but that's only because Steven is in most of the scenes and I have the characters actively trying to avoid any foul language. But there will be some here and there... but there will be blood. LOTS of blood...**

**Till I see you guys again, Sal out!... Jesus, that's a long author's note... for me anyway.**


	3. The Red Demons

_**Ch. 3 The Red Demons**_

It was another sunny day at Beach City, as Steven decided to pay Topaz another visit at his dad's workplace. Even though Pearl warned him regarding the yellow Crystal Gem's behavior, Steven nevertheless ignored her warning, his mind made up to get the entire truth out of Topaz.

'_I don't know what he did to get on Pearl's bad side, but he deserves another chance. He won't be hiding anything from me today!''_ Steven thought, as he arrived to It's A Wash and began to look around for Topaz. He would soon find him in the car wash.

"Hello Topaz. Can I-" before Steven could finished his sentence, he saw a foot coming at him, prompting the young boy to barely dodge it, as he roll onto his side to avoid getting hurt. Topaz stopped what he was doing when he heard Steven.

"Sorry about that, Steven," Topaz apologized from above, prompting Steven to look up and saw Topaz doing some pull-ups on a support beam. But what really stunned the boy was just how quickly he recovered from his injuries.

"Topaz…" Steven began, as he managed to regain composure. "How did you get well so quick? You needed a crutch to walk yesterday and now you're doing pull-ups?!"

"Well, my legs aren't a hundred percent better, but it's still better than nothing. And... my arms aren't broken, Steve," Topaz explained, before a thought occurred to him. "Steven, can you help me out? I just realized I don't have any way of getting down gently,"

Steven looked around the carwash, looking for something to help cushion Topaz's fall, before he ran out and stole his dad's bed right out of his van.

"Don't worry, Topaz. I got this!" Steven informed him, as he pulled the mattress right under Topaz, allowing him to gently dropped down onto it, cushioning his body in the process.

"Thanks for the help," Topaz said to Steven, as he got up and shook the kid's hand.

"Don't mention it, Topaz. I'm just glad to help out! By the way, how are your legs?" Steven asked as he pointed to Topaz's injured legs.

"I can stand and walk without any aid, though I still have a slight limp. After all, Crystal Gems heal quite quickly compared to humans," Topaz explained. Steven was quite awestruck to hear this from him, amazed that he, or rather the Crystal Gems in general, were able to make a full recovery in such a short time. "Since our kind has to be the defenders of the universe on a daily basis, we need to get better right away if we get hurt. Depending on what we eat and how often we sleep, which both further enhances our healing abilities, we're able to heal from major injuries in the span of a couple days."

"That so cool!" Steven finally spoke, having accepted his answer as fact. He then remember what Pearl said the night before. _"Don't listen to what Topaz says. After all, he's quite the Trickster," _He came for answers and that seemed like a matter worth pressing to start with. "Say, have you ever been called by any nicknames before?"

"Nicknames? Could you clarify what you mean?" Topaz seemed confused but seemed more than happy to answer the question… provided he knew what Steven was looking for exactly. Steven took a deep breath and uttered only one word.

"Trickster," Steven said as calmly as he could. As he suspected, Topaz eyes grew wide and his mouth opened slightly ajar. It was not what he expected to hear from Steven at all.

"...Where did you hear that…?" Topaz asked quietly after a few silent moments, prompting Steven to took a deep breath and was about to answer when Topaz cut him off, having managed to deduce the answer. "Pearl told you, didn't she?"

"Yeah, she did," Steven admitted, rubbing his head sheepishly. Topaz looked away before a small smile came to his face.

"So she still remembers…" he spoke quietly to himself.

"Did you say something?" Steven asked, causing Topaz to turned his attention to him.

"It's nothing, Steven. It's all in the past now," Topaz then made his way to the front door, with Steven right behind him, as they both walk outside of the car wash.

"So what will you do once you get better? Are you going to get the Crystal Gems to like you again?" The moment Steven asked that last part, Topaz stopped dead in his tracks, before he turned around to face the curious boy.

"I have to look for my missing comrades first before I could regain the trust of the others."

"What do you mean?" asked Steven, perplexed by his statement.

"It's better if I tell you more about it with Garnet, Amethyst, and Pearl," Topaz responded. "This is something they do need to hear…"

"Oh, alright," said Steven, before Topaz spoke once more.

"In fact, we're going to head to the Crystal Temple right now. It's time that you need to know the truth about what happened and so do the others, even if they won't believe much of it."

Though surprised by this, Steven nodded his head in agreement, before the two head right to their destination.

* * *

After a long while, both Steven and Topaz arrived at the Crystal Temple, as the two made their way and enter the beach house, seeing the three Crystal Gems inside. Not surprisingly, the trio became quite weary the moment Topaz made his presence known, but Pearl looked at him with uttered disdain, something Steven noticed right away, much to his dismay.

"Seriously?!" Steven exclaimed in annoyance, as he threw his arms up in the air. "That's so not cool!"

"Steven, that's enough," Topaz informed the irate boy. "If they don't like me, that's their choice and as far as I'm concerned, I'm not bothered by it."

"Alright, if you say so," Steven reluctantly agreed, before Topaz sat on the couch and turned his attention to the three.

"Has there been any words from the other Crystal Gems that went to the Nihil yet?"

"Unfortunately, we haven't," Garnet admitted, causing Topaz to become worried.

"Topaz, what's a 'Nihil'?" Steven asked out of curiosity, as he had never heard of that term before. Before Topaz could answer his question, Pearl spoke first, cutting him off in the process.

"Nihil is a extremely dangerous realm that the Crystal Gems have been at war with for a long time. That creature you saw yesterday came from that place," Pearl seemed a bit cold when speaking but it was most likely for being in the same room as Topaz.

"For as long as any of us could remember, we took them head on, one after another. We even thought we had found a way to stop them for good," Amethyst added, joining in on the conversation.

"They are also a threat to all life in the universe," Garnet concluded.

As soon as the Crystal Gems finished their explanation, Steven was astonished to hear of a war he never heard about before, as he turned his attention to Topaz, hoping he can offer more information regarding the Nihil.

"Topaz, what kind of place is Nihil?" Steven asked cautiously.

"It's a land of nightmares, Steven…" Topaz began, the tone of his voice spoke with a mix of seriousness and fear. "It's a place that no living being should ever go. There's darkness that constantly obstructs your vision, light was extremely scarce and the Crystal Gems that went there eventually either went mad or struggled to keep each other sane," Topaz spoke very calmly but Steven could see a far away look in his eyes. Obviously the memories weren't pretty.

"Wow, that does sound bad," Steven commented in slight shock, having listen to Topaz with serious intent. "It sounds something that can only happen in a movie. How can anyone survive in a place like the Nihil?"

"We managed to survive thanks to Emerald, who was in charge of the mission. He was the one who kept most of us grounded to reality and made all the strategies," Topaz explained. "He's the reason why some of us managed to escape with our lives, though I don't know what became of them after the portal closed."

"What happened?" Garnet asked, as she and her fellow Gems wanted to know more of their comrades' fate, prompting Topaz to take a deep breath before giving them his answer.

"During our time at the Nihil, we managed to track down and somehow kill their leaders. Unfortunately, instead of causing mass confusion, most of its inhabitants retaliated and began to overwhelm us. We happened to locate a portal to escape, but it was inoperational, forcing us to repair it. Emerald and I and a few others managed to hold off as much Nihilians as we can, while what was left of us made it out. However, I got injured in the process and before I knew it, Emerald grabbed me and threw me to the portal. I tried to reach towards him, but the portal ended up closing on me."

Once Topaz was done telling the whole story, Steven, as well as the rest of the Crystal Gems, were stunned to hear of what had transpired in the Nihil, but Pearl took it hard the most, her reaction changing from shock to that of fury, as she angrily approached him.

"How could you return empty handed?! Didn't you try to find a way to rescue him?!"

"The situation was beyond my control," Topaz sadly but calmly replied. "There was nothing I could have done once the portal closed down," Topaz's answer, however, didn't seem to calm Pearl down.

"That's it? That's why you show up in Beach City?" as much as Pearl wanted to drill more answers from Topaz, she instead took a deep breath to calm herself down, before speaking once again. "At least Emerald put up a valiant effort and did what was right," Topaz didn't really know what logic Pearl was running on as Emerald was the one who threw him into the portal. It's not like he wanted to leave Emerald behind.

"I'm sorry to hear that," said Garnet, as she put her hand on Topaz's shoulder, having understood his situation much better now.

"You did what you have to do," Amethyst spoke out, uncertain where her attitude towards Topaz stands upon hearing what had occurred in the Nihil.

"Topaz, you mentioned that a few others managed to escape. How many were there?" Steven asked. Topaz didn't respond right away, hesitant to give him and his fellow Gems the answer they wanted to hear. Still, they need to know the truth and he realized he had to be honest with them as well.

"Including Emerald and myself... there were only ten," Topaz's answer was met with gasps of horror from the Gems.

"How is having ten Crystal Gems that shocking?" Steven asked, confused by their reactions, prompting Pearl to offer him an explanation.

"Originally, there used to be three hundred of us that we sent to the Nihil, Steven. We might have been small, but when we're together, we managed to fight back."

Understandably, Steven was surprised to learn that there use to be way more Crystal Gems around, something that had never occurred to him, as well as understanding why they would be shocked that their ranks are now so low.

"The Crystal Gems are the guardians of the universe. As such we had Gems on every planet with intelligent life on them. While our numbers back then were well above three hundred, it was just the amount we thought to send. It's because of the low count that Emerald became bitter and less-dedicated as time went on…" Topaz began. "The fight with the Nihilians on their own turf caused him to doubt the success of the mission and even himself. He even confided me about this."

"Why did Emerald tell you all of this?" asked Amethyst.

"Honestly, I don't know," Topaz admitted. As everyone tried to gather their thoughts of all of this, they were suddenly interrupted by a loud roaring, prompting them to head out to the window and saw what appeared to be a giant three headed cat from a distance, as it rampaged throughout Beach City. "Another Nihilian?!" Topaz exclaimed in disbelief.

Likewise, Steven and the other Crystal Gems were just as dismay as Topaz, as they have already dealt with one Nihilian yesterday. Pearl, however, view the situation in an entirely different light.

'_If another Nihilian could get back… Maybe Emerald could too!'_

"Earth to Pearl!" Amethyst shouted, snapping the Crystal Gem back to reality. "This is no time for daydreaming! We got a city to save before that beast endangers more lives!"

"Sorry about that, Amethyst," Pearl apologized, as she and her fellow Gems summoned their weapons, preparing to face the threat, before turning her attention to Steven. "Steven, I need you to stay put right here."

"But I want to come with you guys!" Steven protested.

"For once, listen to Pearl on this one," Topaz informed the boy. "We're up against something that you will not be able to help out against and unless you can summon your weapon, there's no way you can take it down."

Before Steven can try to make another objection, the Crystal Gems immediately departed from the beach house, heading straight towards the three headed cat at Beach City. Undaunted by this, Steven decided to go after them, still determined to help them out.

Beach City was in yet another state of chaos, as citizens flee for their very lives, avoiding the wrath of the three headed cat, as it continued to rampage in its path, destroying anything that it could find. As the monstrosity went on in its wrath, the four Crystal Gems finally arrived, as they looked at it with awe and shock.

"So, does anyone here have a plan to take it down?" Topaz asked the three.

"Not really," Garnet admitted.

"Ditto on that," Amethyst added.

"If we did, we would have it done it by now," said Pearl, deciding to restrain herself for the moment. Topaz could only sigh as they surveyed the scene.

"What about you, Topaz? Surely you have some idea to take a Nihilian down after yesterday's battle," Amethyst still can recall on what she and her friends have witnessed.

Topaz, for his part, didn't respond to Amethyst's question right away, as he continued to study the three headed cat for a few more minutes, before an idea struck him on the head.

"Actually, I think I do," Topaz replied, as the three Crystal Gems started to listen. "I actually fought something like this once in the Nihil. Cutting off one of its heads won't do, since they'll just regenerate. What we need to do is take them down all at once and up close."

Once Topaz said that last part out, the Crystal Gems were a bit shock by what they heard. At the same time, they didn't have that much options and Topaz is so far the only one who knows much about fighting Nihilians. With that in mind, the three turned their attentions to Topaz and nodded their heads, showing that they were on board with him.

"Now that we're all in agreement, here's the plan…" Topaz began. "I'll distract the heads down towards me, while you three focus on taking out the heads. Does anyone else want to add in something to this plan?"

"I do," Pearl replied. "I'll position myself in a blind spot and the same goes with Garnet and Amethyst. Once the beast focused its heads at only you, that's when we'll strike."

"That'll do then," Topaz agreed.

With that said, the four departed to opposite direction, as Topaz headed off to a position for the three headed cat to see him, combining his short swords into a bow, as he readied the string to shoot his arrows to distract the giant, while Garnet, Amethyst and Pearl hid behind some rubble to hid themselves until the moment was right. Just as they had planned, the beasts focused its heads on Topaz, as it slowly made its way towards him. But just when everything is going accord to plan…

"Hey guys, where are you?!"

The beast suddenly stopped in its tracks and focused all of its heads towards to Steven, no doubt the one who shouted.

"C'mon you guys, I just wanted to help!" Steven continued to shout, oblivious of the danger that was in front of him. By the time he managed to see it, however, all he can do is stand still, too frightened to move his body, as the three headed beast's eyes suddenly glowed, much to Topaz's horror.

'_Oh no!'_ Topaz thought, before he quickly dashed as best he could towards Steven and shielding him from the blast coming from the beast's mouth, taking most of the damage in his place, as the three Gems, as well as Steven, looked on with horror. "Ah ho ho…" Topaz said weakly as he fell to the concrete.

"Screw the whole plan!" an enraged Pearl shouted, before she came out of her hiding spot and dashed towards the monster, leaping on its back and stabbing it on its spine, as it shrieked in pain. Amethyst and Garnet also came out of their hiding spot, as they ran towards the beast, the former using her whip to latch on and jumped on the spear, sinking it much deeper, while the latter made the final attack as she leaped and slammed it as hard as she could, sending the spear straight through the monster, severing the spine and paralyzing it, sending it to the ground. A few seconds later, it disappeared in a cloud of dusts and leaving just the three Gems.

"Steven, are you alright?!" Pearl shouted, as she and her friends quickly made their way towards him and Topaz; much to their relief, both were fine, though the latter was still injured from the earlier attack.

"Thank goodness you're alright!" said Pearl, before she frown towards Steven. "What were you thinking?! You almost got yourself killed and got Topaz injured!" She scolded.

"I'm sorry I just wanted to-" was all Steven could say, before Pearl cut him off.

"That's not the point, Steven! If we say stay in the beach house, we really mean it!"

At that moment, Topaz barely got up from the ground, as he took a sitting position and turned his attention to Steven.

"Steven, I know you want to help and I understand tha-ah... but you really need to listen to us next time... There was no way you could have helped us take that monster out."

"I'm sorry about that, Topaz. I didn't meant for everything to happen like this," Steven apologized, as he looked down on the ground with shame, just as Topaz, despite his injuries, was able to get himself up with the use of his bow, as he approached Steven gingerly, tapping him on the head to get his attention, before he spoke with a smile.

"You really are just like your mother. She always wanted to help even when she was the one in need of it," Steven was surprised, but relieved, that Topaz wasn't angry at the slightest, but he was touched to hear this from him. "Though next time, stay where we tell you," Topaz instructed as Steven nodded slowly in embarrassment.

"Thanks for protecting Steven," Garnet said with gratitude.

"Yeah, that was a close one back there," Amethyst added, grateful for Topaz's help.

Pearl, though, hardly said a word to Topaz, but he knew that deep down, she was thankful that he was able to save Steven just in time.

"I appreciate it very much, you guys. Right now, I think we need to head home to recover and I'll do the same back at the carwash."

"Actually, come with us," Garnet suggested, to the surprise of both Topaz and Pearl.

"Wait a minute, Garnet! Why are we taking him back?!" Pearl objected to this.

"C'mon Pearl, Topaz saved Steven's life. It's the least thing we can do to show our thanks," Amethyst argued.

"...Fine, he can come back to the Temple with us," Pearl relented, knowing full well that she is unable to convince them otherwise.

"I appreciate the offer, but I have to say no to it," said Topaz, much to everyone's surprise. "I'll only come back if there are no more animosity among each other. I don't want to cause a ruckus on living arrangements."

"I don't think that's ever going to happen," Pearl deadpanned.

"I've always loved a challenge," Topaz remarked, causing Pearl to balk at that statement, before walking off to the opposite direction, while Steven, Garnet, Amethyst and Topaz could only looked on.

"That was disappointing," Garnet simple said.

"Tell me about it. That girl really needs a chill pill," Amethyst added.

"Let Pearl think what she want to think about me. It's her choice," Topaz stated, to which Garnet and Amethyst nodded their heads in response, understanding his reasons. "In any case, I think I should call it a day… that blast didn't exactly tickle…" Topaz examined his side to see some reopened wounds though they didn't bleed very profusely.

"Alright, if you say so. But just so you know, you're welcome to come back to the Crystal Temple," Amethyst assured Topaz, to which Garnet nodded her head in agreement, before they both went to the opposite direction, as Topaz, along with Steven, both went to the carwash, the former lost in his thoughts.

'_I wish things between us didn't end like it did… but I'll make it right. And with Steven's help… I know I can,'_ Topaz thought as he limped down the street. Then a thought occured, _'Maybe I should tell him...'_ Topaz looked down at Steven who seemed pretty cheery all things considered. _"Question is… How much do I tell him?'_

**A/N So that's chapter 3 in the books. So why am I posting this now? Cause it's the holidays and I feel like it. Chapter 4 will be coming out this weekend though. It's already typed out, just making sure I don't screw it up too badly.**

**littleali07: I would bet money you were the only one that was really surprised by that twist. I wouldn't know. No one else said anything. And I'm glad to know you enjoyed it.**

**Till next time, Sal out!**


	4. The Bonds Between

**Ch. 4 The Bonds Between**

After getting permission from Garnet, Steven followed Topaz right back to the car wash, something that the yellow Crystal Gem didn't mind one bit. After all, he can use some company after today's turn of events, as well as a good rest, even if the child next to him was partially to blame.

'_Home sweet home… I guess,'_ Topaz thought, as he sat down on the mattress Greg lent him to use after climbing up onto the roof. He began to inspect his injuries and do his own patch-up job that actually went pretty well.

"So Topaz, what kind of relationship did you have with Pearl?" asked Steven, as he always wonder how someone like her would be with someone like Topaz. For his part, Topaz chuckled in response, though a bit surprise that a boy like Steven would ask such a question, before he calmed down enough to respond back.

"Sorry about that Steven. I suspected you would ask that, but I didn't expect to be right away… or as blunt. But seriously, what made you think I had anything other than a working relationship with Pearls?"

"Let me see…" Steven began, as he rubbed his chin. "Pearl was the only one to react to you rather differently compared to Garnet and Amethyst, from your nickname to getting right in your face. Also, it's just this feeling that Pearl means more to you than you're saying."

"And where did you draw that conclusion? Are we speaking from experience?" Topaz asked as he stared at the kid.

"Well there's this girl named Connie-" Steven began but when Topaz heard her name, he got a devilish grin on his face.

"Connie, huh? I see our little Stevie's a playa!" Topaz joked as he pinched Steven's cheek lightly.

"What?! It's not like that! Connie's just a good friend, that's all!" Steven insisted, as his cheeks started to burn from him blushing brightly.

"Yeah, sure. Totally convinced," Topaz said with a smile. "Anyway, you were saying?"

"Oh yeah, um, we left off with you and Pearl," Steven quickly said, wanting to change the subject real bad. Topaz nodded as he motioned for Steven to continue. "Out of the other Crystal Gems, only Pearl gave off the most reaction just from you alone. Did you two like each other before all of this hate?"

"Something like that," Topaz admitted but he started to look a little down as the conversation continued. "As a matter of fact, the reason the Gems were weary of me is because of what happened between me and Pearl."

The moment he gave out his response, Steven was quite taken aback by this. He knew something was up between him and the Crystal Gems, but it wasn't the answer that he was expecting to hear.

"So what happened that cause Pearl to hold such a deep grudge against you?"

"Well she has always held grudges for some of the most ridiculous things like Amethyst and the cheese grater incident but that's a story for another time. And when she starts a grudge, expect it to last a year, minimum. I don't know why; it's just how she works," Topaz explained. "But for what I did, I'm not shocked in the slightest that she still hates me."

"What you did? What do you mean by that?" asked Steven, becoming more curious than ever, as Topaz sighed and took a deep breath.

"Just as you suspected, we started off as friends and I mean _REALLY_ good friends, before we ending up dating each other."

"Y-You and P-P-Pearl...DATING?!" Steven questioned Topaz in complete disbelief, before letting out a chuckle. "I'm sorry Topaz, it's just that Pearl is the most uptight person I've ever met and from what I've heard you're more of a jokester! I mean, I think it's more believable that you were dating Amethyst of all people!"

"Fair enough," Topaz said with a calm smile. "I concede that Pearl can be really stiff but that's mainly due to her work ethic which is only rivaled by Garnet's and her love of getting things done perfectly as it brings that sense of satisfaction that very few ever get to feel. And yes I am a jokester and I love to have fun but I'm also very disciplined because wielding a bow effectively isn't easy, Steven. I need to have pinpoint accuracy or I'm not helping at all. And have you tried dual wielding swords? It's not exactly child's play and takes a lot of practice to do right," Topaz finished his lengthy explanation with a sigh and even Steven felt winded listening to it.

"Whoa, I didn't expect to hear all of that, but what does that got to do with you and Pearl?"

"Pearl believed that by perfecting herself, she could avoid making even the simplest mistakes, because she always had this fear it might cost her dearly. She thought that dating me was the biggest mistake she had ever made after… the incident and as far as she's concerned, she vow not to make any more mistakes on that level again, even if that made her seem like she had a redwood stuck up her... butt," Topaz caught himself so that he didn't swear around Steven. Heaven forbid Pearl got wind of where he heard any bad words.

"I'm sorry to hear that," Steven pitied Topaz regarding him and Pearl's current relationship. "Is it possible that Pearl will give you another chance under any circumstances?"

"Believe me when I say this, Steven; what Pearl says will go," Topaz explained. "She holds onto grudges like they were ropes with her friends tied to the end of them while they were hanging off of a cliff into bottomless pit," Topaz emphasized, putting the chances as slim at best. "And she'll hold on to that rope till someone comes and pulls her friends out."

Once Topaz finished with his explanation, all Steven could do was look at the Crystal Gem with a mixture of shock and disbelief. How could Pearl, of all people, behave in such a manner? It was way out of her nature he had become so accustomed to and he never expected her to have such dark behaviors.

"How come I've never seen Pearl like you just told me?" Steven asked, hoping to clear up the inconsistencies.

"She was always good at hiding her true feelings unless she wanted you to know," Topaz answered calmly as he thought back to how she made no effort to hide her hatred for him. "She probably didn't want you to be like that, so she taught you otherwise by example, even if that meant having to hiding the truth underneath a forced smile," Topaz explained as he used his fingers to make a smiley face with Steven's, before dropping it back to his normal expression. Steven nodded as it made sense that Pearl would do that.

"Pearl really needs to let go of her grudges. It's not cool to hold on to them and not good for everyone else."

"You're right Steven, Pearl does needs to let go of the past," Topaz agreed with the boy. "But she needs more time than you or me before she accepts that the past doesn't matter. Believe me, Steven: a lot of girls are like this. Pearl is just really extreme with it."

"Good point," said Steven, nodding his head to show that he understood Topaz, before he finally noticed something he hadn't before. "Topaz, why do you wear clothes that are so... normal?"

"Normal...? OH! I getcha! You mean why do I wear clothes that are normal compared to the other gems," Steven nodded as Topaz began to explain. "I wear them because they help me blend in a little better on the street. I don't like a lot of attention so I update my attire every so often to avoid it," Topaz said, hopefully answering Steven's question before the kid looked out to the horizon and noticed that the sun was beginning to set.

"Looks like I have to get going now. I'll see you tomorrow then," Steven said as he got up and waved goodbye.

"Alright then, Steven. See you later then," said Topaz, waving his goodbyes as Steven left the car wash. As he watched Steven go, Topaz couldn't help but chuckle to himself. "Let's hope the kid got the hint," he said as he continued his wrapping job on his injuries.

* * *

Within the Crystal Temple, Pearl stood on top of a water plume, holding a picture frame in her hands. In the frame was a photo of her and Topaz, both smiling at one another, back when she didn't despise him with open disdain. It was strange that she still kept it, but she felt it was because she had it around as a reminder of her 'mistake'.

"We can never be what we once were," Pearl quietly said to herself, before she put the frame back and descended from the water plum, making her way right towards the temple door, only for Garnet and Amethyst to cut her path off by coming into the temple themselves.

"We need to talk," Garnet asked, showing no emotion like normal.

"Are you alright?" Amethyst asked, concerned for her friend but already knowing the answer.

"Of course I am, Amethyst," Pearl insisted.

"Are you sure about that?" Amethyst questioned her friend. "You've been acting off since Topaz showed up."

"I said I'm FINE. What more do you want?"

Pearl's answer, however, didn't convince either Garnet of Amethyst in the slightest. Both could tell that their friend was lying to them and just trying to avoid the subject as quickly as possible.

"You're worse than we thought," Garnet bluntly said.

"I'm no genius, but even I could tell that you're just avoiding your problems," Amethyst added.

"Look, I appreciate the help, really. But I assure you two, I am-" Pearl was soon cut off by her two friends.

"But you're not," Garnet interrupted by raising her hand in front of Pearl's. "Take a break."

"Garnet's right. You need a day off. Topaz clearly proved that he can and will defend Beach City and Steven. The guy's on a bum leg and jumped in front of a freaking laser to save him!" Amethyst pointed out, causing Pearl to try and refute their claims but instead only sighed in defeat.

"...Fine, but only because I don't want to get into any arguments," Pearl reluctantly complied to their demands.

Satisfied to hear this, both Garnet and Amethyst head out through the temple door, leaving Pearl the only occupant within the temple, as she head right back into her bedroom in an attempt to relax herself.

"Let me see. What can I do to take my mind off everything?" Pearl said to herself. She thought long and hard before an idea came as well as smile. "I know, I could practice my swordsmanship! It's been quite a while and I don't want to get rusty!"

Without any hesitation, she allows the water plumes to rise and reveal the set of the swords she had collected so far, as she made her way to see them.

"What do I have so far…" Pearl began, as she examined each and every sword. "This one's too big, this one's too small, I don't know how I got this one...Oh! here's one!"

Pearl took out a katana among the collection and examined it quite closely, looking at the finest details and quality of the blade. The katana was a three-body katana as it was able to cut through three unarmored bodies in a single swing… or so the tests showed.

"I haven't seen this for a long time. The last time I saw it, it was a gift… from Topaz."

Upon this realization, Pearl put the katana and and randomly picked up a Roman gladius, before she had the water plumes to descend down with the rest of the collections.

"Alright then, it's time for some practice."

After what felt like a very long time, Pearl finished her swordsmanship practice, her body sweating and breathing very heavily, before she put the gladius back with the rest of her collection. While it did help her feel a bit better, it was enough to completely leave her stress free. She had the water plume rain some water down onto her to help her cool down, causing her hair to begin to bend from its normal spikey-ness under the water's weight.

'_Perhaps some dancing could offer a solution,'_ Pearl though to herself, deciding it was the most logical choice, before she made her way to a sealed box and opened it to reveal a stereo.

"Here goes nothing," Pearl said to herself, before she hit play, as the stereo turned to her favorite ballad. "Now that's what am I talking about."

Soon, Pearl began to dance around with the music, her body slowly adjusting to the tune and her mind at ease and relaxed. For a while, it appeared that it might done the job for her.

'_I haven't felt this happy for a long time since I...danced...with...Topaz.'_

The moment Topaz's name showed up in her mind, his smiling face appeared in her mind for a brief moment, causing Pearl to trip and fall to the floor of the water plume with a look of dismay and disbelief. She immediately got up and turned the stereo off, before putting it back in the box and allowing it to sink back into the magic plume, still a bit shaken.

"I knew that was too good to be true! No matter what I do, all I could think of is Topaz! Think Pearl, there was to be another way of getting him out of your head, but what is it?!"

Pearl continued to frantically pace back and forth for the next several minutes, before an idea finally came to her.

"Of course! I should have done this before!" she exclaimed, before she summoned her spear and grabbed it. "If this doesn't work, I don't know what will."

With that said, Pearl began to practice with her spear with all of her best effort, thrusting and stabbing her weapon in all directions with refinement and fluidity in all of its elegant form and in such a short time, Pearl was lost in her own world, tuning everything related to Topaz out. After what felt like an eternity, Pearl thrust her weapon for the last time before coming to a stop, seemingly back to her old self, though tired from all the activity she did.

"Looks like it did the trick. I should thanked Garnet and Amethyst when they get back. I do owe them an apology for my behavior," she remarked, as she dismissed her weapon before smelling something foul. "What is that?" Pearl asked as she sniffed around before finally finding the source: herself. "Whoa… I need a bath… or twelve!" Pearl exclaimed as she descended into the water plume.

Night has finally come at the beach house and for Steven, he arrived just in time, before he was able to catch his breath from running home like he was chased by a ferocious dog, which he was. He was just glad that he just got home alive and the last thing he wanted to do is to make the Crystal Gems worried about his long absence.

"I wonder how everyone is doing," Steven wondered, before he made his way through the front door and saw Pearl coming out from the temple. Even more amazing, there was a smile on her face for the very first time in an extended period of time, something that was long overdue.

"Pearl… you're smiling," Steven spoke in utter astonishment.

"Hello Steven and yeah, I know, I haven't smiled like this in quite a while." Pearl admitted. "I'm feeling much better now."

"Does this mean you're ready to forgive Topaz?" Steven asked innocently.

The moment he mentioned Topaz, the smile on Pearl's face vanished almost immediately, replaced by an angry sneer, her expression became dark and grim, much to Steven's shock. What happened next was startling as Steven saw Pearl's eye suddenly turn blue from her popping a blood vessel out of sheer frustration.

"You just have to mention his name in front of me, do you?! I just wasted the whole night for nothing!" Pearl shouted at the top of her lungs, before she turned to the temple door and angrily walked back inside, while Steven could looked on with dismay.

"Maybe I shouldn't have said that..." he remarked, just as Garnet and Amethyst arrived, clearly finished with their tasks.

"Stevie, you're finally home," Amethyst happily said.

"Did Pearl come out?" Garnet asked, causing Steven to become immediately uncomfortable, before he sighed and answered her question.

"When she came out, she looked fine and even smiled, until I mention Topaz name and before I knew it, she... went ballistic and... storm backed in..." Steven said shamefully, his voice getting quieter as he talked.

Amethyst gasped in shock while Garnet just sighed lightly upon hearing the boy's explanation, both dismayed that Pearl had made no effort while they were out.

"You should be careful next time, Steven! The last thing we want is Pearl being such a downer!" Amethyst scolded the kid, with Garnet nodding her head in agreement.

"I'm sorry you guys, I didn't mean to upset her like that. I just want everyone to be friends, that's all," Steven insisted.

"Believe me Steven, a… 200 foot tall fire breathing... floating of pair of sneakers with... whip-like laces and… flying shoe drones would attack Beach City long before Pearl would ever accept Topaz as a friend again!" Amethyst explained as she made up the most ridiculous monster she could come up with on the spot, causing Steven to be immediately terrified.

"Can something like that really happen?!"

"Doubtful. There's no such thing," Garnet assured Steven.

"Oh, that's good to know," Steven said, as he sighed with relief, before Amethyst's words slowly sunk in.

"So what I'm being told is that getting Pearl and Topaz to be friends again is nothing but a lost cause," Steven concluded, causing Garnet and Amethyst to sadly nodded their heads in agreement, leaving the boy upset upon this realization. Then, something else suddenly struck him in the head, causing him to smile almost immediately.

"In that case, I'm not going to give up! I'll have to make sure that Topaz and Pearl put their differences aside and have them be friends again, no matter what!"

Both Garnet and Amethyst were amazed by the boy's sudden optimism, as well as his strong determination of getting Topaz and Pearl back together. But then again, he always managed to amaze them in more than one ways, as his optimism was par on the course at this point.

"All I have to do is come up with a good plan so that they can at least get off on a good start. I just need to know what caused the incident first,"

As soon as Steven mentioned the word "incident", he looked at Garnet and Amethyst, both looking away from Steven, as if they're willing to keep their lips sealed at all costs about the topic. Although he could have questioned them, Steven decided that it wasn't a wise choice and he certain that Pearl would not talk about it to him either for obvious reasons. It was then that he realized there was only one person who can help him out.

'_I need to talk to Topaz. Maybe he can tell me what went wrong,'_ Steven concluded, before he looked outside and realized that it is still night. _'I should try to do that tomorrow.'_

"Whatever your plan is, I hope it turns out to be a good one," said Amethyst, before she let out a yawn. "But for now, I'm going to get some rest."

"You should as well, Steven," Garnet simply said,

"Good night, Stevie!" Amethyst said as she and Garnet went back into the temple, leaving Steven alone in the beach house.

"Good night, guys!" Steven said to his friends; before he turned the TV on to see if there was something good to watch before going to bed himself.

**A/N Right on schedule is the next chapter! Hope you enjoy it!**

**Don't have much to say right now but if you have any questions about the story, you can let me know. **

**Till next time, Sal out!**


	5. Shattered Hearts and Bonds

**A/N Since it's crucial for this chapter: I've decided on making a guess at Steven's age and I'll explain my reasoning at the bottom. You'll know my guess when you see it.**

_**Ch. 5 Shattered Hearts and Bonds**_

It was another day in Beach City, as Steven made his way to his father's car wash, determined to learn the truth of the incident from none other than Topaz himself. As he made his way up to the roof, Topaz, as always, is doing another set of exercises. This time he was doing some push-ups, much to Steven's surprise, before the yellow Crystal Gem noticed his presence after a minute or so.

"Hey Stevie, my boy," Topaz greeted the boy, as he continued to do some push-ups.

"Topaz, should you be doing push-ups with your injury?" Steven asked out of curiosity.

"I still need to stay in shape in one form or another," Topaz explained, before he got up and even bounced up to show how fine and well he is. "I think I'm at about 80% right now but at least 40% without the nagging pain," Steven looked at Topaz puzzled for a few moments until it finally made sense to him.

"Oh alright," Steven nodded with a smile, glad to see Topaz was healing. "Though you may want to get new clothes. Yours are looking a bit… destroyed," Topaz examined his clothes to see they had indeed become very tattered. Though considering everything in hindsight, he was shocked he even had clothes at all.

"A very fair point," Topaz then shape shifted his clothes into new ones. They looked exactly the same in terms of design except for two things: this one had a zipper and they were no longer full of cuts, holes, and bloodstains. "Better?"

"...Cool! How did you do that?!" Steven asked with excitement after a moment of silence.

"Did the girls never explain we could change our clothes through shape shifting? ...Or shape shifting period?" Topaz asked, amazed himself that the girls neglected to mention how they could change clothes. "I would think Amethyst would have mentioned it at least once. Even if it was just a passing statement."

"Not at all, Topaz. I tried shape shifting myself, but it nearly got me killed," Steven explained as if it was nothing at all, astonishing Topaz.

'_This kid treats death in hindsight like it's nothing! I guess innocence is the ultimate mental shield,' _Topaz quickly shook his head before chuckling. "You don't say. Well we all have to start from somewhere, though I've never heard it get that bad before," Topaz then walked over to the bed he was using before sitting down with a sigh. He motioned for Steven to have a seat in the lawn chair that Greg brought up. "So aside from idle chatter about near-death experiences, what's on your mind today?" Topaz asked with a pleasant smile.

"Oh yeah, that reminds me! I want to ask you about the incident regarding you and Pearl," Steven bluntly answered, leaving Topaz quite shocked by this, before asking him once more.

"How far do you want to go for the truth?" Topaz looked off into the distance when he asked in a quiet and serious voice, with the Temple in his sights.

"Far enough so that everything can go back to the way it was. Last night, Pearl went ballistic after I just mentioned your name and honestly, I miss her old self. At least she wasn't cold and bitter like the last few days," Steven explained with a sad tone.

"Has it truly gotten that bad…?" Topaz asked just quiet enough for Steven to hear, even though the question wasn't directed at him. Topaz smiles before looking back at Steven. "Your reasons are noble enough for me, Steven. If it means as much as you tell me… then very well," Steven's face perked up as Topaz admitted he was ready to spill the beans. "Just know one thing," he stated in a serious tone. "The truth is not always pretty to look at."

* * *

_**12 Years Ago…**_

"_When we were fighting the Nihilians before you were born, Emerald and I both had conflicting views on how we should have dealt with the situation. Those views would often lead to very angry shouting matches between me and him. One day it just got really bad. We had finally acquired a way to travel to the Nihilian world and to this day I wish we never did…"_

"Topaz! Why can't you agree with me on this?!" Emerald shouted at Topaz as they stood in Topaz's room. Topaz for the most part was standing next to a rack where he kept some of his favorite swords before turning to face his friend. "We finally have a way to take the fight to them and finally end it all! Why can't you see what I see?!"

"Why indeed?" Topaz said calmly, trying not to lose his cool again. They already had a fight over this earlier in the morning during a meeting about the portal generator they had stolen from a recently killed Nihilian. Topaz was made a fool of by Emerald and they finally agreed on his plan that morning though that wasn't enough for Emerald. He wanted his best friend's approval but this time, however, there were no onlookers… and no one to stop any fights. "Maybe because I don't believe in sending all of us into the unknown! We don't know what's on the other side of that portal and for all we know there might be something we can't deal with!" Topaz started to feel his blood boil at his friend, angry that Emerald would even suggest such a plan in the first place.

"And I suppose we should remain right here on Earth and wait for them to invade this planet and then the universe?! Not a chance, Topaz! That's going to put everyone's lives in danger!" Emerald countered his friend's claim. "And you know what; I don't care anymore what you think! What I've lost myself is more than enough for me to go through with this!" Emerald then stormed out of the room after berating his friend.

* * *

"What he lost?" Steven asked confused. "What did he lose?"

"You think I was the only one to ever have a girlfriend?" Topaz asked back, more than answering Steven's question and interesting the boy even more. "See when a gem dies, we are forced into a reincarnation process where we become a small child and have to restart our lives," Steven was shocked by Topaz's explanation. He never knew that was how the gems worked. And the hits kept coming as Topaz continued. "The process often changes our personalities, our likes and dislikes, our beliefs, our looks, everything that can change, will most likely change. And it takes twenty years before we reach our adult forms again. Emerald's longtime girlfriend, Ruby, was killed by a Nihilian and forced into one of these reincarnations," Topaz said with a hint of sadness in his voice which Steven could feel himself as he felt sorry for Emerald even though he never met him. "And when she was finally reincarnated, she was nothing like she used to be and that just… destroyed Emerald. This was a full twenty years before this argument took place," Topaz had finished his explanation into Emerald's line of thinking as well as his reckless actions.

Steven, for his part, could only looked at Topaz with sadness and pity, especially after hearing how the death of Emerald's girlfriend caused him to behave in such an irrational behavior to the point that he was willing to risk the lives of every single Crystal Gems, just to take down their sworn enemies.

"Wait if you guys can be reincarnated, how are Pearl and Emerald siblings?" Steven asked suddenly, throwing Topaz off for a second. He knew the answer to the question. It's just that twelve year old kids shouldn't.

"Uh... I-It's complicated... There are two ways: O-One where we just appear in a new form... and the other..." Topaz felt so uncomfortable as he probably shouldn't be explaining _that_ to Steven. "Maybe when you're a tad bit older it'll be okay to talk about it," Steven just looked at Topaz confused but he could see the gem was a bit tense so he decided it was best not to press it.

"Okay then," Steven agreed. "So what happened after you and Emerald were done arguing?" Steven asked, hoping if there was more to Topaz's story.

"If you thought it wasn't pleasant now… then you better hold on to your seat," Topaz warned as Steven mentally braced himself.

* * *

"_Whenever I was having a bad day, I would always go to that cliff just over the temple and stare out at the horizon just over the ocean. It was one of the most peaceful and beautiful sights in Beach City, especially during sunset and at night when all the stars were out. Naturally, after having two arguments with Emerald, I went up there to clear my head…"_

"Emerald… when did you get so… impetuous…?" Topaz said to himself as he stared at the horizon with a frustrated look on his face as he stood close to the edge of the cliff.

"Topaz, are you okay?" asked a female voice that Topaz was familiar with, as he turned to see Pearl right behind him. She had a worried look on her face as she looked him straight in the eyes.

"I don't really know, Pearls…" Topaz said, saying her name like only he and Emerald did. "Emerald hasn't been the same since he lost Ruby and all he could think of is his complete obsession on heading to the Nihil and most of the Crystal Gems are with him. He's putting everyone's lives at stake and he knows it!" Topaz felt his fists ball up in anger as he talked.

"Topaz, I get that brother can be reckless at times, but with all due respect, perhaps this might be a good thing..." Pearl started her explanation, as Topaz looked at her with utter disbelief before turning back to the ocean. "Think about it, Topaz; we won't be putting everyone in the universe in danger and we have a fighting chance at the Nihil and take them down, ending their threat once and for all!" Pearl spoke with passion as she walked closer to Topaz, clearly believing that her brother had the right idea but this left Topaz feeling a little betrayed. "I can see your side as well, Topaz. I just believe we should take action!"

"Of course you would pick his side! He's your brother!" Topaz countered back, as Pearl recoiled in shock. "Though I'm shocked you wouldn't be the least bit concerned about how he's on this personal crusade that's basically driven him off the deep end!" Topaz was starting to get infuriated with everyone as it was just a conga line of people trying to berate him.

"Emerald is doing what is best for everyone!" Pearl protested.

"Best for everyone?! He's gone cuckoo ever since what happened to Ruby!" Topaz pointed out.

"He just wants to make sure no one else has to suffer like he did when he lost her!"

"And that gives him the right to plan for a suicide mission?! We could all end up dead and then our universe will be forced to suffer anyway!"

"But if he pulls it off, then we don't have to worry about another attack from them anymore! Why can't you see that?!"

"_Before long, Pearl and I were at each other's throats, arguing back and forth regarding Emerald and his plan, pointing fingers and accusation of whose side we were on. But what happened next was something I wish would never happen…"_

"Look Pear-" Topaz went to turn around quickly with his hand raised a little but he didn't realize how close Pearl actually was and accidentally slapped her right across the face, shocking them both. "Pearl, I'm so sorry! Let me ex-"

But Topaz never had a chance to explain, as a fist punched right into his face as hard as it could, knocking him down to the ground along with a few teeth, as he looked and saw Pearl with a look of anger and sadness on her face, before tears formed on her face and quickly turned and left Topaz on the cliff.

* * *

"That was the straw that broke the camel's back," Topaz admitted as Steven looked on, astonished at what he just heard. "While it was an accident in its purest form, it didn't need to be on purpose for it to hurt."

"But why would Pearl hate you for that? If it was accidental, wouldn't she understand after a while," Steven asked, confused at what Pearl must have been thinking.

"Well truth be told… it wasn't the first time we had an argument… that week," Topaz said shamefully as he rubbed the back of his head. "Anyone who looked at our relationship knew it was on thin ice as we were starting to get into spats for the stupidest things. This was just one of the things that caused it to finally break," Topaz explained.

"One of them?" asked Steven, confused by that last statement.

"Yeah… it doesn't end there…" Topaz said with a look of utter shame on his face. "I got _really_ careless myself that day…"

* * *

"_Now as you could imagine, because of what happened on top of the cliff, Emerald was... less than happy to say the least..."_

"I gonna rip your spine our and use it as a jump rope!" Emerald shouted in utter fury as he and Topaz stood off in the sand. Topaz had a little blood on his face from Pearl breaking his nose and was unnaturally calm for someone who had just had his girlfriend for so long dumped him. It must have been from the shock of everything happening as fast as it did.

"Emerald, just give me a chance to tell my side of the story," Topaz pleaded with Emerald. "I didn't mean to hurt Pearl on purpose. It was just an-"

"I don't want to hear another word from you, Topaz!" Emerald angrily cut him off. "You've just crossed the line! We are going to duel right here and now and this time, I am not holding back!" Emerald shouted as he readied a solid green pike out of the gem in his forehead. The pike had three points on it; two facing opposite directions and one pointing straight forward. It also had a swirl going around the shaft like Pearl's spear.

For Topaz and Emerald, it was normal that the two had a one-on-one duel as they saw each other as even opponents and that made for great training partners. But this was no training exercise. It was a duel to the death.

"Emerald, it doesn't have to be this way," Topaz again begged Emerald to reconsider, not wanting to fight him.

But his pleas fell on deaf ears once again, as Emerald aimed his green pike at Topaz and with one battle cry, dashed right towards the yellow Crystal Gem. Saddened by this turn of events, Topaz quickly summoned his two swords and dodged the attack. At this time, Amethyst had walked out of the temple (since the house hadn't been built yet) and saw the commotion.

"Oh boy. They're at it again," Amethyst said nonchalantly as she went back inside to get everyone.

As Amethyst went back to inform her fellow Crystal Gems, Topaz and Emerald, on the other hand, were locked in battle, the former defending himself from the latter's wrath, though he found it hard to block his green pike with ease and not fighting back at the same time.

"Why won't you fight, coward?!" Emerald demanded, as he continued to thrust his green pike at Topaz. All the gem could do was block and redirect Emerald's attacks, not wanting to fight his friend.

"Like I said Emerald, I don't want to fight you," Topaz calmly replied, as he continued to block another blow from his friend.

"You don't have much of a choice!" Emerald retorted, before giving himself enough distance between the two. Topaz put his swords together to form his bow before readying one of his yellow energy arrows. Unbeknownst to him, Pearl and Garnet had joined Amethyst but they came at the worst possible time. Topaz had no intention of hitting Emerald as he fired his arrow just past his ear but when he saw what was in that direction, his heart sank till it was in his foot.

'_Oh shit!'_ Topaz thought, horrified what he had just done. The arrow was now on a direct course for Pearl.

"PEARL!" Emerald shouted, getting his sister's attention, as she noticed the arrow heading right towards her, before she ducked to the side in the nick of time with Garnet also pushing her out of the way, much to Emerald's relief, before he turned and face Topaz once more, his expression quickly becoming much darker than it previously was. He couldn't believe someone like Topaz would do something like that, even in the middle of a fight. Since Emerald didn't even dodge, the shot had to have been intentional as Topaz wasn't one to miss his shots when it came down to it. Or at least… that's what Emerald and Pearl had thought.

"That does it! I'm gonna rip your balls off and use 'em as fish bait!" Emerald then charged right towards Topaz, as the latter was prepared to defend himself from another attack. But just when the situation was about to become bleak…

"**That's enough!"** a commanding female voice shouted, causing Topaz and Emerald to stop what they were doing, as they both turned around to saw Rose Quartz in a less than happy mood. Around this time is when she was about ready to give birth to Steven soon so she didn't have long for the world.

"I don't know what has gotten into you two and I'm not here for any excuses! This debacle ends right now! Do I make myself clear?"

"...Yes, ma'am," both Topaz and Emerald complied after a moment of hesitation, before Rose gestured her arm to the temple to have them both inside right away.

"This isn't over," Emerald whispered to Topaz, before he angrily walked back to the Crystal Temple.

"I can't believe this is happening," Topaz sadly said to himself, before he walked back to the temple, knowing fully well that the damage had been done.

* * *

"Wow, that must have been really intense back there," Steven spoke after hearing Topaz's brief duel with Emerald.

"That was just the beginning of the downward spiral, Steven…" Topaz began, as the boy listen on. "Over the next few days after the incident, Emerald and Pearl's side of the story became the accepted truth, which is also mostly my fault…" Topaz said as he looked down at the roof floor.

"Why?" Steven asked.

"I didn't try to argue any of their claims," Topaz explained in a sad tone. "Mainly due to me having my own self-doubts about everything that had happened. "Was it really just an accident" I would sometimes tell myself. And because I didn't refute anyone's claims, naturally they all assumed it was the truth," Topaz stated, his eyes shut as he recalled all the events. "I don't blame them for thinking that way."

"But it was still an accident. You never meant to allow any of it to happen," Steven pointed out.

"It didn't matter at the point," Topaz simply replied. "I was only allowed to remain with the rest of the Crystal Gems due to your mom's intervention. She was also the reason I was with the team that went to the Nihil, mainly because Emerald wanted to keep Pearl safe and away from harm and also keep me away from her so he kinda had to take me with him," Topaz explained as a small half-hearted smile took to his face. "And because I was gone for so long and had no chance of fixing things between me and her, the seeds of doubt and hate that I planted in her heart were allowed to grow over time into a great tree of disdain," Topaz said as he placed his and over his own heart. "And here I am without an ax…" Topaz spoke as he held his hands out as if to ask for one. Steven and Topaz sat in silence for a few moments as Steven thought about what to say.

"Topaz, how exactly did you get out? Like could you explain it better?" Steven vividly recalled about the place, but not enough to fully grasp the situation of Topaz's escape.

Topaz, for his part, could only sigh in sadness, still haven't forgotten his experience in the Nihil, before he turned his attention to Steven.

"Are you sure you want to know every single detail of what happened?" asked Topaz, to which Steven simply nodded his head in response, making it clear that he wanted to know everything.

"Very well then. It all began after we managed to took down one of their leaders down…"

* * *

Emerald couldn't believe that this was happening, as he, Topaz and what remained of the Crystal Gems fled for their very lives; expecting the Nihilians to react in confusion and panic as the intended solution, it had the opposite effect, as every single one of them was now out for blood, determined to slaughter them to the last Crystal Gem.

"We had everything planned out," Emerald muttered under his breath. "What went wrong back there? That wasn't supposed to happen at all. I...we shouldn't have come here."

"That was exactly what I said from day one," Topaz said, as he dodged a few attacks from the Nihilians behind him. "Then again, my plan wouldn't have worked out well either, so we're both held accountable for our actions: you for suggesting this idea and me not coming up with a better one."

"Stop at once so we can rip you all to shreds!" one Nihilian angrily shouted called out from behind.

"Ah crap! At this rate, we'll never be able to outrun them!" Emerald cursed himself, as he looked around for any possible solution, until something caught his eyes. A portal generated that looked offline. "Topaz, I want you to listen very carefully. We're going to open a portal and you are going to take what's left of us and head through there right away."

"Emerald, that's insane!" Topaz objected to his friend's plan. "You'll be left behind!"

"That's a chance I'm going to take," Emerald simply said. "Now c'mon, Topaz! Let's do this!" With a sigh of reluctance, Topaz, as well as Emerald, made their way to the nearest portal and both summoned their respective weapons, armed and ready to fight, making sure the latter's plan goes accordingly. "We need to buy time while one of you gets the portal working!" Emerald ordered as a few got to work on getting it working, just as the Nihilians finally caught up with them.

"Prepare to meet your makers!"

"My lord, you are lame," Topaz joked, before he combined his two short swords into a bow and quickly shoot out a few energy arrows, dispatching a few Nihilians down.

"Attack!"

With that declaration made, the Nihilians launched a full frontal assault at the remaining Crystal Gems, as Topaz and Emerald began to dispatch them one by one, while their comrades were doing their best to get the portal in working condition.

"These guys never quit!" Topaz remarked, as he managed to dispatch a Nihilian down.

"What do you expect from them? They're not going to stop until we're all dead," Emerald started, thrusting his pike at a nearby Nihilian.

In the midst of their conversation and fight, their comrades were able to get the portal working and fortunately for them, it was in stable condition, giving them this one and only chance to escape from this nightmarish world.

"Alright! We did it!" one Crystal Gem exclaimed with excitement before turning to Topaz and Emerald. "Guys, we have to go right now!"

With that, the remaining Crystal Gems immediately ran to the portal as fast as they could, avoiding every single attack that the Nihilian unleashed at them, while Topaz and Emerald continued to fend them all off, until the last Crystal Gem made his way to the portal.

"Emerald, let's go! We can both make it out before it's too-" Topaz found himself cut off when Emerald grabbed him by the collar, as he set his eyes on the portal; it didn't took the yellow Crystal Gem too long to realized his intention. Before he could say anything, Emerald disappeared from his sight as he was teleported away, with a smile on Emerald's face being the last thing he saw.

* * *

"That was the last time I saw Emerald. I tried to get back to the Nihil, but the portal quickly closed up as soon as I got back here. There was nothing I can do to rescue Emerald," Topaz concluded, before he let out a heavy sigh with a hint of sadness.

Once Topaz story was finished, all Steven can do is look at him with wide eyes, with his mouth slightly hanging ajar. He suspected that it might have been bad, but not as worse when Topaz explained to him. It was something that might have been written for a movie.

'_So that's how he and the other eight Crystal Gems managed to escape,'_ Steven thought, before something came to him. "What happened to the others? Surely they must have made it out alive."

"That's just it, I simply don't know. I was hoping that they would have showed up by now," Topaz answered Steven's question.

"Oh, sorry to hear that," Steven simply said. "I do hope that they're alive and well."

For a while, there was a long silence in the car wash, with neither Steven nor Topaz saying anything to each other; finally, the latter decided to ask Steven regarding the story he gave to him just now.

"Well Steven, I have laid out everything I can tell you about what happened," Topaz spoke finally with a straight face. "So what are you going to do now?"

"I'm still trying to come up with something, but when I do, I'll let you know," Steven admitted, before he noticed that the sun was about to set. "Looks like I have to head back to the temple now. I'll see you later Topaz."

"When you have a plan, you know where to find me," said Topaz, before he fell back onto the mattress while Steven climbed down from the car wash roof. Topaz's mind was still replaying the events in his head as he reached under his shirt and pulled out a shiny blue locket before opening it. Inside the locket was a picture of him and Pearl during happier times before a single tear ran down his face, his feeling of sorrow strengthened, as he continued to reflect on what had happened.

* * *

After several minutes of running, Steven finally made his way back to the beach house, his thoughts still focused on Topaz's story and still trying to form a plan to get him and Pearl to reconcile and patch things up with each other.

'_Think, Steven, think...'_ Steven started to think, as he paced back and forth. _'What would be a good way to get Topaz and Pearl to like each other again?'_

Steven continued to pace back and forth, still trying to formulate a plan. After what felt like a very long time, an idea finally struck him in the head.

"Eureka, I got it!" Steven said, borrowing a word that he heard off of a television show he saw last night.

"Got what, Stevie?" Steven turned around and saw Garnet and Amethyst in front of him, noticing that the two had exit out from the Crystal Temple, much to his joy.

"Garnet! Amethyst! I'm so glad to see you both! I just thought of a way to get Pearl and Topaz to be friends again!"

"You do?" both Amethyst and Garnet asked simultaneously.

"Yes I do," Steven simply replied with a grin. "Now huddle up so I can explain it to you guys," The three all got close as Steven explained his master plan.

**A/N Next chapter comes out this Saturday and this one is coming out today as I have to go back to school tomorrow and this is to be the last hurrah of my holiday break.**

**You might think the reason might be a bit weak but let it be known: Hell hath no fury like a woman scorn. **

**As I mentioned, I was going to explain my reasoning to why I think he's 12 years old. The first being is the fact that he doesn't seem the least bit like a teenager and he seemed older than say 10 so that put him between 11 and 12. I went with 12. Pretty sloppy reasoning but then again I've pulled more than half of the things going on in this story out of my ass.**

**Starchaser-75… 5000 words in this chapter and author's notes combo. Just for you buddy! MWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! For those who don't get it, Star was complaining about my chapters being too long. So just to spite him (Not really. This is purely coincidental) I've made the longest one yet!**

**Also ****Demonofthesilverstars brought up something in HER (I'm sorry, okay! It's not obvious to me!) review that I might as well answer. This is the review in question:**

"**:) Nice. Very nice. Topaz sounds like a chill dude. Hmm... I need a voice headcannon for him now... So i know how to read his words. Does he have an aceent, does he talk soft or deep? Loud or quiet? Things to look out for when he talks…"**

**Here is my answer:**

**Topaz has no accent. He's more soft-spoken without being right on the definition but closer to it, only raising his voice when he needs to or he's under some form of pressure or urgency. With that comes that he tends to talk quieter but can raise his voice to speak his opinions. His voice volume is dependent on the mood of what he's talking about like he gets quiet when talking about unpleasant incidents but gets louder when he's having fun. It also is affected by the number of people he's talking with. More people = the louder he tends. **

**Things to look out for? Not sure what you mean but he doesn't have any verbal tics if that's what you're saying.**

**If I was to pick a few candidates for his voice actor for him... They would probably be:**

**PJ Byrne (Voice of Bolin from Legend of Korra but I would have him use a slightly lower tone of voice. Just a tad.)**

**Dante Basco (I know that's two from the avatar series but they had some good voice actors)**

**Josh Keaton (Spidey from the short-lived Spectacular Spider Man)**

**Mike Erwin (Jak from Jak & Daxter and Speedy from Teen Titans)**

**And finally Nolan North (From Everything Ever Made. No joke. The guy is in so much stuff it's insane!)**

**Though there was something I left out: Topaz also does have a lot more energy in his voice when he's having fun screwing with others, which he has a habit of doing, hence his nickname.**

**This is how I see Topaz and if you see him in another light, please let me know.**

**Long ass Author's note but considering what I was asked, I think it's justified. Till next time, Sal out!**


	6. French Date

**A/N I'd like to thank my friend NeoNimbus for drawing the cover for this story. I will color it in myself as Neo said he couldn't color worth a damn so I'll fill in for him. But enough of that, let's get to why you're here.**

_**Ch. 6 French Date**_

The sun was starting to set at Beach City, but for Topaz, he decided to get an early sleep instead, after everything that had happened with his conversation with Steven and the fact was he still needed to rest and recover. As far as he was concerned, he just wanted some shut eyes and wake up feeling better by tomorrow.

'_Early to bed, early to rise, I guess,'_ Topaz thought to himself, before he closed his eyes to sleep. Or at least he tried to get some. The area around him was peaceful for the most part and Topaz fell asleep quickly.

* * *

***Bang Bang Bang***

"_Court is now back in session for the trial of Topaz," _A voice echoed as Topaz opened his eyes to see he was now standing at a small witness stand. Topaz quickly and frantically looked around as he saw a faceless judge in front of him and to his right a jury of silhouettes. Topaz's arms and legs felt heavy as he looked to see that he was in shackles and braces.

"_Wha… What's going on?" _Was all the gem could say as he looked back to the judge who looked towards the jury.

"_Has the jury reached a verdict?" _the judge said, causing Topaz to look towards the jury to see one of them stand up. The juror was female in form and looked familiar to Topaz. But when the juror spoke, he couldn't believe his ears.

"_We have, Your Honor," _That voice… he knew just who it belonged to.

"_Pearl?"_ Topaz muttered as the juror continued.

"_We, the jury, find the defendant, guilty as charged,"_ "Pearl" said with a hint of hatred in her voice.

"_Very well," _The judge said before looking at Topaz._ "Mr. Topaz, I hereby sentence you to drown under the water that is your crimes! Goodbye Mr. Topaz!" _

"_No! Please! This is a misunderstanding!" _But his pleas fell on deaf ears as suddenly and without warning, the floor below Topaz gave out, as he fell down into a hole. As he fell, he suddenly hit water and went under before coming up to the surface quickly for air. Topaz then could feel the water rising as the hole got closer and closer. But in turn, the hole was being closed slowly and it began to get darker as a result.

As the hole finally close, Topaz could feel his head bump the stone block that was used to cover it. Soon the water rose above his head as Topaz tried desperately to move the block in any way but with no stable ground below him to give leverage, his efforts only seemed to speed up his demise as he felt his lungs beg him for air. Suddenly, his lungs let all the air out of him as he began to sink into the abyss of the whole. Topaz then began to lose consciousness before hearing a voice in his head, getting louder and louder by the second.

"_Topaz…? Topaz? Topaz?!"_

* * *

"Topaz!" Steven shouted as he shook a heavy-breathing Topaz who woke up in a gasp and quickly looked around to see where he was. "Are you alright? It looked like you had a nightmare," Steven spoke with concern.

'_I'm… I'm back…?' _Topaz sighed with relief as the realization hit him. _'Oh thank god... it was just a nightmare… Just another one to add to the pile...' _he then took note of the young boy next to him. It was night time now and even he couldn't tell what time it was but he knew one thing; it was past this boy's curfew.

"Are you okay, Topaz?" Steven asked with a look of worry.

"Yeah… bu-" Topaz began.

"Good!" Steven exclaimed, relieved that his friend is alright. Topaz quickly shook his head to get the conversation back on track.

"Steven, what are you doing here this late at night?" Topaz demanded an answer from the boy. "Pearls'll kill us both if she knows how late you're out!"

"No time for explanations! Just let me blindfold you right away!" Steven demanded, throwing the gem off guard. Before Topaz could say anything, Steven quickly pulled a rag from his pocket and quickly blindfolded him on the spot, leaving Topaz to see nothing at all. "And if you could, be completely silent till I take it off! It's a surprise!"

"Um, alright, if you say so," Topaz complied to his request, before he found himself being dragged off by Steven.

'_I don't know what's going on, but I have a feeling I won't like it. What's gotten into this kid?'_

* * *

Pearl couldn't believe what her friends are doing; for some reason, they simply checked up on her and asked if she's feeling fine and before she could answer their questions, Amethyst quickly snuck up on her and blindfolded her in an instant, before she felt herself being dragged off from the Crystal Temple. Right now, she felt the ground suddenly soft and it didn't take her too long to realize where she was.

"Sorry for asking the obvious, but why are we outside?"

"We can't tell you. That'll spoil the secret," Garnet simply replied, as she continued to drag Pearl.

"Besides, it's best if you find out with your own two eyes," Amethyst added.

"Kind of hard to do that with the blindfold on!" Pearl rebutted, clearly annoyed.

"Please be silent. It'll all make sense in a minute," Garnet practically ordered.

Reluctantly, Pearl sighed and complied with Garnet's demand, as she is continued to be dragged off to who knows where. After what felt like a very long time, she, as well as Garnet and Amethyst, stopped dead in their tracks, before she suddenly found herself… seated at a table.

"Alright you two, what's going on?" Pearl demanded to her friends. She suddenly heard a gasp come from the other side of the table. Garnet removed her blindfold to show her the surprise. "You can't be serious…" Pearl said as she got a good look at the scene. Topaz was sitting at the other end, who was just as surprised as he had his blindfold removed, who was looking her straight in the eyes but was visibly uneasy. They both inspected where they were to see they were now on top of the cliff overlooking the sea and since it was nighttime, they were under the stars that had been brightly lit up with the full moon shining overhead.

The table they were sitting at was set up to resemble one that could be found at any five-star restaurant with every type of knife, fork, and spoon that they would need. There were a bushel of fake flowers in a vase next to a candlestick that had three candles burning brightly, giving off a faint aroma of vanilla. Just to add to the fun, Steven was dressed as if he was an obnoxious French waiter, complete with hokey mustache.

"Good evening and 'ow may I help youse two for ze fine evening, monsieur?" Steven asked in a horrendous fake French accent, causing Topaz to chuckle.

"Ne quittez pas votre poste de jour, Steve, (Don't quit your day job, Steve,)" Topaz spoke, showing Steven how French was done.

Steven, for his part, could only look at Topaz with confusion, before an irate Pearl finally spoke; wanting to know what was going on.

"Steven is there a reason you pulled something like this tonight?" she asked, the tone of her voice showing a hint of annoyance.

Before Steven could answer Pearl's question, he found himself cut off by Topaz, as he spoke back to Pearl in response.

"Steven must have figured that this was the only way we can talk face to face. I'm not so sure how it'll pan out, but I'll admit, I do admire his "go big or go home" effort into it."

"It was the only idea that I had at the time," Steven admitted, before quickly realizing that he was out of character and resumed back into position. "Anyway, what would ze monsieur and ze madame want?"

"If it'll make you happy, give me some curly fries," Topaz replied, having decided to just play along with Steven for the moment though he wanted to keep him on his toes by ordering something that you normally don't get at French restaurants.

"...I'll just have some vegetable soup, that's all," Pear replied back, despite being annoyed how tonight was turning out for her.

Steven jotted down their orders on a notepad, before he immediately ran off back to the beach house, leaving just Pearl and Topaz on their own at the table, looking at the other from across their seats. After a moment of silence, Topaz finally spoke, if only he couldn't stand the silence.

"Steven sure is quite dedicated when it comes to his friends. It's amazing how far he'll go just to help resolve any situations," Topaz commented. "You, Garnet and Amethyst certainly raised him very well. Rose would be proud," Topaz bringing up Rose seemed to irk Pearl even more than just being at the table with him.

"This night is going to be horrible, I just know it," Pearl mumbled under her breath, before she decided to at least hear him out, no matter how unbearable the situation is.

"I heard that," Topaz casually pointed out, before he chuckled. "I'm assuming that it's anything but joyful."

"So Topaz, how do you like your new home?" Pearl bluntly asked, ignoring Topaz's earlier remark.

"If you're referring to the carwash, then yeah, it's alright," Topaz replied, while Pearl set some napkins across her lap. "Greg really has been a good host for the last few days and I wish I could return the favor for the kindness he showed me."

Once he finished that last sentence, Topaz noticed that Pearl was glaring at him rather intently, before it took him a few seconds to realize what was going on in her mind.

"Looks like the tree had grown into quite the red oak," Topaz remarked under his breath.

"Look Trickster…" Pearl finally spoke, using his nickname. "Do you think I'll just forgive you after what happened twelve years ago?"

What happened next took Pearl by surprise; instead of a frown from Topaz, a smile formed on his face, no doubt having heard his nickname for such a long time.

"Looks like my nickname seems to give you a sour taste," Topaz commented, ignoring Pearl's question altogether. Topaz had seen the nickname go from show of affection to a show of disdain.

Annoyed by this, Pearl was about to ask him the same question when Steven finally showed up with their meals, as he hand Topaz his curly fries and Pearl her vegetable soup, before he spoke once more.

"Now what would ze monsieur and ze madame want for ze drinks?"

"I'll just have water," Pearl replied.

"Same here," Topaz added.

Once he heard their orders, Steven immediately turned to the opposite direction once more and once again, leaving Pearl and Topaz at the table.

"As I was saying, do you think I'll just forgive you after what happened twelve years ago?"

Topaz didn't respond to her question right away, as he looked down at his meal with a sigh before finally answering her.

"I'll admit that I don't expect things to ever be the same, but I still hope that we can at least remain friends," Topaz replied, as Pearl listened on. "When I was at the Nihil, it was nothing but pure hell for me. I was always sent out to scout by Emerald, who most likely hoped that I wouldn't return, though I always managed to find the one hole to safety. After all, I was called Trickster for a reason."

Pearl continued to get agitated by this, as she had to listen to every single word that was coming out of Topaz's mouth.

"But in spite of everything, my reason for staying alive was and always has been...you."

Pearl's anger was suddenly replaced by shock and surprised on her face. She couldn't believe that, despite her disdain and grudge for him, Topaz still had thought of her during his time at the Nihil. It was the last thing she would ever expect to hear at all.

"I kept going because I wanted to make everything right. I wanted to see the warm smile on your face again and I did what I could to protect your brother, regardless of how he treated me and I wanted to make sure that he and I could have made it back here together."

For once, Pearl was utterly speechless after hearing everything from Topaz. All of her anger, disgust and disdain for him were starting to subside, replaced by empathy, sadness and calmness that she hadn't felt for a very long time.

"I know I can't change my mistakes from twelve years ago, but I don't care about that. I just want to see you smile again."

"...Topaz, I-" was all Pearl could say, before being cut off by a series of screaming from a distance, as she and Topaz turned and looked up to see something they couldn't believe with their own two eyes: up in the sky was a 200 foot tall fire breathing floating pair of sneakers, whipping any buildings with its laces and being surrounded by tiny little drones that also resembled sneakers as well.

"What. The. Hell," Topaz emphasized in utter disbelief.

"Topaz, please tell me we're not looking at what I think we're looking at," Pearl simply said to Topaz.

"Whosoever's designing these things needs to get a life!" Topaz shouted as he and Pearl quickly got up and ran down to the shack.

* * *

Steven, Garnet and Amethyst couldn't believe what they were looking at; as soon as they heard everyone screaming for their lives, all three turned to see what the ruckus was about and to their shock, there was a giant floating pair of sneakers, breathing out fires, whipping buildings with its laces and even surrounded by miniatures versions of it. After a long silence of disbelief, Steven finally spoke up.

"Does that mean that Pearl will forgive Topaz for real?"

"Now's not the time, Steven!" Garnet answered back. "We must stop it at once."

Just then, the three heard the front door opened, as they looked and saw Topaz and Pearl together, armed with their respective weapons, before the former spoke to them regarding the current situation.

"This is going to be hard to explain, but what you're looking at, believe it or not, is another Nihilian… and a... very absurd looking one at that."

"But where are they coming from?" asked a confused Amethyst. "They never attacked this frequently, even when we're at war with them."

"I'm still trying to find the answer to that question, since Emerald destroyed the only known portal," Topaz admitted.

"Topaz, does every Nihilian have look insane?" Steven asked out of curiosity.

"I'll admit I've seen some pretty weird ones… but this one? Dear Lord, who's making these kids show rejects? Four year olds?!"

"We can discuss about their appearances for another time!" Pearl shouted, as the floating monster ended up leveling another building. "Right now, we need to save Beach City before it's too late!"

Everyone nodded in agreement, before Garnet and Amethyst summoned their weapons, preparing to fight back against their most unusual looking enemy yet.

"Guys, can I-" was all Steven could say before being cut off by Pearl.

"No, Steven! If for just once, please stay here!" Pearl pleaded with the boy. "We can't watch you and deal with the Nihilian at the same time," Steven was saddened to hear this, now feeling like nothing more than a burden.

"We know you want to help and we respect that, but you just need a bit more knowledge before we can trust you on your own," Topaz spoke in a very kind and understanding voice. "But for now, leave the grunt work to us," Topaz said with a reassuring smile.

Steven looked at Topaz, touched to hear this from him, now feeling a bit better.

"Thanks Topaz, that really means a lot. In that case, I'll stay put," Steven simply said, much to the Gems' relief, before Garnet turned her attention to Topaz.

"Any ideas on how to take it down?"

"To be honest...I haven't the foggiest. I'm still in shock from just looking at it," Topaz admitted, as he rubbed his head sheepishly.

"Are you serious, Topaz?!" Amethyst exclaimed in disbelief, before throwing her arms up in frustration. "I was hoping you might have at least seen one back at the Nihil."

"Amethyst, this is not the time for complaining," Pearl scolded her friend. "We need to head out to the city right now and faced that monstrosity right away!"

Agreeing with Pearl's last statement, the Crystal Gems, minus Steven, immediately left the beach house to deal with the Nihilian right away.

* * *

Normally for Beach City, everyone would have been tucked in bed for a good night rest until tomorrow arrived. Instead, each and every person are now screaming in fear and fleeing for their very lives, as the floating pair of shoes continued on with its rampage, breathing fire in its path and leveling down as much buildings as it could find.

"I'll never look at shoes the same way again!"

"I thought they were supposed to come out during the day!"

"I'm moving to another city!"

As the catastrophe continued on in the city, the Crystal Gems finally arrived to see the chaos from the streets, with many citizens running passed by them, all the while the four looked on, hoping that at least one of them can come up with a solution.

"If anyone here has a plan, now would be a good time," Amethyst spoke up.

Topaz, as well as Garnet and Amethyst, could only pondered, still trying to come up with some sort of plan to take down the floating pair of shoes. After what felt like a very long time, it was then that something came to Topaz.

"I think I got it!" he exclaimed, prompting the three Crystal Gems to turn their attention to him. "Garnet, Amethyst and I will get the monster's attention and distract it, while Pearl will examine it for any possible weakness so that we can exploit it and take it down."

"It sounds risky, but we'll take a chance," Garnet agreed.

"It's better than nothing," Amethyst added.

"Looks like we're on all board then," said Pearl, satisfied that everyone came to an agreement, before turning her attention to Garnet. "Garnet, you know what to do."

Garnet simply nodded her head, as she grabbed Amethyst by the collar and threw her as hard as she can towards the shoe monster, with the latter quickly summoning her whip, before she grabbed its laces and began to whip like mad at the monster.

"Hey ugly! Pay attention to what you're doing!"

Amethyst's insult, as expected, caught its attention, prompting it to unleashed several drones at her and her companions, as the three quickly summoned their weapons, as Topaz readied his bows to aim and shoot several arrows at them, with Garnet pummeling a few up close and Pearl thrust and swung her spear at several drones, all the while examining the floating pair of shoes for any possible weakness.

'_There has to be some way to defeat it, but what is it?'_ Pearl thought, as she continued to fight off the several drones that tried to get close to her. It was at this moment that something unexpected happened; Topaz attempted to take down more drones that are coming by, but one of the arrows missed its target and hit dead on at the monster's bow tie, causing it to roar in anguish. She couldn't believe her eyes: she had finally found the monster's weakness.

"Everyone, the monster's weakness is the bow tie! It's the only way to take it down!"

With the new found information, everyone was prepared to take down the floating pairs of shoes once and for all. But before they have a chance, a certain boy unexpectedly called out of the blue.

"Guys, I'm... so glad... you're okay!"

Stunned to hear this, the Crystal Gems turned around and saw Steven right behind them, as he managed to made his way to them, his head sweating profusely and breathing heavily after running for so long.

"Steven, what are you doing here?! We told you to stay put!" Pearl demanded.

"I'm...sorry Pearl… but… Look out!" Steven shouted as he pointed to the monster.

Surprised but curious by this, Pearl quickly turned around and noticed that the shoe monster was indeed aiming right at her with its shoelaces, as the aglet started to glow brighter within each seconds, before unleashing a stream of fires that was too fast and too large for Pearl to dodge.

"I don't think so!" Topaz shouted, as he managed to dash to Pearl's side and quickly spun his bow, causing the fire to go around them, much to everyone's relief, before Topaz turned to Pearl. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine thanks to you," Pearl showed her appreciation.

"Thank goodness," Topaz simply said, before he noticed that Pearl still has her spear. "Say, mind if I borrow it for a moment?"

"Sorry to ask the obvious, but why?" asked Pearl.

"Let's just say I want to be creative," Topaz replied as he wiggled his bow in his hand.

Upon hearing Topaz's answer, Pearl realized what his intentions are, as she handed him her spear for him to use, as Topaz readied his bow to aim at the shoe monster, just in time to see Garnet leaping on top of one and ripping the shoelaces with Amethyst's help, before they both got down for safety.

"This is for trying to attack Pearl," Topaz said to himself, before he let go of the string, as the spear flew and managed to hit the second shoe's bow tie, causing it to roar out in complete pain and agony, as it succumbed to its injuries, before disappearing completely into a cloud of smoke. Afterwards, Garnet and Amethyst made their way to meet up with Pearl, Topaz, and Steven, who was twiddling his thumbs for distracting Pearl.

"Looks like the day has been saved once again… mostly..." said Amethyst, as she took a look around at the wrecked downtown area before they turned around to face Steven. Though they could understand Steven's hatred of staying on the sidelines, Pearl's face gave the impression that an atomic lecture bomb was inbound. Though before she could speak, Topaz spoke first.

"Steven, have you ever summoned your weapon before?" Topaz asked, before giving an adamant at Pearl, telling her she can chew him out later.

"Just once," Steven admitted, as he rubbed his head sheepishly. "I don't know how, but when I had those delicious Cookie Cats, I thought that's what allowed me to summon my weapon. May they rest in peace," Steven sadly said, as he looked down on the ground, lamenting that they have remained discontinued.

"Topaz, why are you asking Steven about that?" Amethyst asked out of curiosity.

"So Steven, these… Cookie Cats. How did they make you feel?" Topaz asked once more as he took a knee to get more on Steven's level, ignoring Amethyst's question.

"When I took a bite out of them, it made me oh so happy. In fact, just thinking about them still puts a smile on my face," Steven replied, as his mouth drooled a little once he brought up Cookie Cats again.

"Happy, huh? Could it really be that simple…?" Topaz muttered under his breath, surprised to hear Steven's answer.

"Topaz, what is it?" asked Pearl, though he mostly didn't pay attention.

"Steven," Topaz said finally with a curious smile. "What else makes you happy?"

**A/N Topaz's nightmare was actually inspired by a nightmare I had coincidentally right after I beat one of the "Ace Attorney" games. It's not exact but it's close.**

**Topaz has this giant buzz saw attack. Why doesn't he use it more often? I'll explain that in time. I have a very good reason ready. I know no one asked this question but if I can notice I don't utilize this awesome attack as often as I could have, might as well explain why.**

**Guest Reviews that I have a response to:**

**TJL12345: I'm glad you like the backstory! Btw, your crossover request is pending now… Good news! Star is willing to do it! And I have an idea of how it could work but my idea isn't on the serious side… so I'm not sure how Star will think after I've finished refining the idea. "Return From Limbo" is your new favorite SU fic? Personal victory! :D Though your reasons for it may be a bit… unique? Here's what I mean, there could be a hundred reasons why Noah didn't update in a while: writer's block, personal life, computer problems, etc. I'd say stay patient. **

**Funny (depending on you) personal story: Okay so I've got periodic insomnia problems and I got a bad case of it earlier this week. You want to know what got rid of it for now? My Humanities teacher assigns me a book to read it two days and I finish it in two ours. It wasn't very long. The book was so boring to me that it cured **_**insomnia! **_**No joke! The second I read the ending, I was out for 12 hours! I haven't slept that long in years! Even better, I was the only one in my class of 25 (some of which are very active readers) to finish the 87 page novella in the time restrictions. It ranged from not getting past the intro, to not even getting to the last few chapters and even that was rare. I had to explain the ending for someone a grand total of SEVEN times because they couldn't get to it and just gave up. The book is called "Anthem" from Ayn Rand. Now I've liked some of Ayn Rand books, (three to be exact: "The Fountainhead", "Atlas Struggled", and "We the Living") I just didn't like this one. But I understand everything about it. It just wasn't my cup of tea.**

**Can someone tell me if Fanfiction is giving you error messages that says Error type 1? I would like to know that I'm not the only one.**

* * *

**One last thing: Would it be a good idea possibly do a lemon based on this story? Yay or Nay? The lines are there to make this stand out better cause I would like an answer.**

***Edit: In case I confused a few people: The lemon would NEVER be in the official story. It be more of it's own thing with it's own place. Sorry if I confused anyone.**

* * *

**You're probably getting sick of seeing author notes that go on like this. I just really like to talk sometimes when I'm having fun doing what I do. **

**I think that's everything so till I see you guys next time, Sal out!**


	7. Swimming Anyone?

**A/N Sup all ye party people! Posting a chapter a bit early to celebrate my sub-par coloring skills! Now I've only got one question for you…**

_**Ch. 7 Swimming Anyone?**_

It was an energetic afternoon in Beach City and there wasn't a single cloud in the sky to dampen the lively mood of the town as they were finally starting to get ready for the annual Beach City Oceanic Festival, a three day event to celebrate the founding of the city that everyone's been looking forward to in just two weeks. It was also their chance to repair the damage caused by the giant shoe monster the night before. But instead of helping his dad set up for the festival, Steven had something else to take care of first. The young boy came out of his ocean-side house and headed towards the beach with Garnet, Amethyst, and Pearl following suit, just as equally curious as to what their friend Topaz had planned. They found Topaz sitting with his legs crossed as he waited patiently for Steven.

"Hey Topaz!" The gem heard a very spirited voice before looking to see Steven and the other gems as well.

"Oh heyllo, Stevie," Topaz said in a silly voice before he helped himself back up to his feet and turned to face Steven who suddenly started to talk with a ton of energy.

"I can't believe it! I'm finally going to learn how to use my gem! This is going to be awesome!" Steven's excitement made the gems smile at how eager he really was. Pearl was more focused though, intent on seeing just what will happen.

"Hold on there, Stevie Wonder!" Topaz said with a chuckle as he held his hands up to attempt to calm the boy. "I know you're probably expecting miracles but as far as I know, I can't say for certain that by the end of the day, you'll have your weapon," Topaz admitted sheepishly as he scratched his head. This seemed to calm Steven down and made him feel a little down.

"Speaking of which, do you have any ideas on how Steven could properly summoned his weapon?" Pearl finally asked, though she had a hunch that she knew where Topaz was thinking.

"Yeah so what's this big plan you've made?" Amethyst asked in a lighthearted, mocking tone.

"... Eh…" Topaz muttered as he started to fidget a little. "It's just a theory but I'm willing to take an educated guess," Topaz then looked back at Steven. "Okay so what are some of the things that make you _really_ happy? Like "when you eat Cookie Cats" happy?"

Steven didn't answer right away, as he stopped what he was doing and pondered as hard as he could. He was certain that there must have been something other than Cookie Cats, but thinking about it proved too much for the young boy, as he clutched his head and groan in frustration from over thinking too much.

"Calm down, Steven," Garnet simply said after she saw Steven was starting to strain himself.

"Yeah, just think about it through slowly. I'm not in any rush," Topaz said with a smile as Steven took a deep breath and slowly thought it over. While he continued to think of something that made him happy, Pearl spoke up, now intrigued by Topaz's theory.

"So you're suggesting that Steven can only summon his weapon just by thinking some happy moments?" she asked Topaz

"Are you sure that it might work?" Amethyst questioned the yellow Crystal Gem.

"...Not exactly, but I'm not ruling anything out," Topaz explained. "I don't want to leave any possibilities untested if it can make Steven easier to protect."

"It's worth trying," said Garnet, having agreed with Topaz's strategy.

Topaz then turned his attention to Steven, who was still trying to think of anything else that made him really happy, until he finally took a deep breath and sighed with disappointment, before making his way to Topaz.

"I'm sorry, Topaz, but it seems that I couldn't think of anything that made me that happy other than Cookie Cats," as soon as Steven said those last two words, his stomach growled in response.

"Kid needs brain food, methinks," Amethyst said calmly, as Topaz rubbed his face with a groan before shrugging.

"French fries?" Steven sheepishly asked.

* * *

After sending Steven and Amethyst to get some fries and fry bits from Fryman's Beach Citywalk Fries shack, Topaz decided to ask Garnet and Pearl a few questions of his own regarding Steven's ability.

"So I have a question for you two," Topaz said as he addressed Garnet and Pearl, "Steven's gem; did it only start manifesting any show of power after he ate these Cookie Cat treats?"

"It only happened at least once," Pearl began to explain. "Somehow, the gem on his stomach began to glow bright enough to summon a shield. We still couldn't figure out how he managed to do that, though Steven ate the last remaining Cookie Cats in a misguided attempt to summon his shield."

"Steven did tell us that he once managed to summon a bubble," Garnet informed Topaz.

"A bubble?" Topaz asked incredulously. "Let me guess; he got stuck in it," Topaz chuckled.

"Yes," Garnet said bluntly, causing Topaz to chuckle a bit louder. "He also got trapped in it with his friend Connie,"

"PFFTHahahahahaha!" he burst out laughing at how awkward it must have been for the boy.

"Fortunately for them, it only lasted for one whole day," Pearl spoke up, as Topaz was finally starting to catch his breath. "We still don't have any ideas on how he managed to summon a bubble, mainly because we only know what Steven told us," Pearl admitted as she and the other gems never saw the bubble itself.

"That is quite interesting," said Topaz, once he finally managed to calm himself down. "If I had been there when it happened, it certainly would have been more helpful to figure out how Steven can summon his weapon."

"Hey guys, we're back!" a certain boy shouted, as the trio turned and saw Steven and Amethyst heading right towards them, no doubt returning back from the shack with the meals, the former was carrying a big bag with him, clearing intending to share some with his friends. After spending a little time eating some fries and fry bits, it was back to brainstorming. Realizing that Steven couldn't think on his own after seeing the mental strain he gave to himself, Topaz decided to help him out, as he and Steven made their way to the edge of the water and turned their attention to the ocean, before the former spoke to the young boy.

"Steven, I'm going to sit down and you're going to do the same as well. We'll both close our eyes and from there, take a deep breath and slowly think over your happiest moments. Don't worry, you don't have to tell me them if you don't want to."

"Alright Topaz. I hope it works," Steven agreed, as Topaz sat down and closed his eyes, with the young boy doing the same thing, before he took a deep breath and started to think, as the other Gems looked on.

"Steven, what are you thinking about right now?" asked Pearl. This annoyed Topaz a bit as he said he didn't have to tell anyone.

'_Well that lasted pretty long. What was that; fifteen seconds, I think?' _Topaz though sarcastically.

"Let me see…" Steven began in quiet tone, before an image slowly formed in his head. "There was some of the times I helped Dad at the car wash and had a blast goofing off with him," As soon as he said this, a smile formed on his face.

"That's cool," said Amethyst. "Any other good moments, Stevie?"

"...Well, there's some where I hang out with you guys," Steven simply replied, as he smile widen in response. Topaz then thought about something.

'_Could he be any vaguer?' _Topaz couldn't help but smile as he thought about how vague Steven's thoughts were. "Steven, I'd recommend you focus on your memories. What about them made you happy?" Topaz asked.

"They always go out to these super awesome adventures that I hope I can go to someday," Steven answered.

"Ngh… Well it's somewhere," Topaz sighed as Steven's answer was still vague.

"But Steven's gem has never manifested when we take him with us," Pearl interjected.

"Well maybe there's something else," Steven suddenly spoke, as image started to form in his head once more. This time, it was an image of a girl he knew all too well, as his smiles widen much more. "Connie."

As Steven muttered that single word out with joy, the gem from his stomach suddenly glow, to the astonishment of the gems; the moment he heard the trio's gasp of surprise prompted Topaz to open his eyes and just like them, was just as amazed as they were, before a smile formed on his face.

'_Hooray! Results! Looks like I was right after all,'_ Topaz thought to himself. Though before they could capitalize, the glow disappeared, leaving everyone feeling a little down. "Well at least we know we're on the right track," Topaz chuckled.

"What's so funny?" Steven asked, confused by Topaz's reaction, before Pearl answered his question right away.

"I think Topaz managed to figure out how to summon your weapon, Steven."

"I haven't figured a thing out yet. The memory trick didn't produce the final result, but at least we're on to something," Topaz explained, though he was a little concerned as to what the memory was and whether Steven would be comfortable telling. "Is there anything else that can make you happy?"

"...Actually, there is!" Steven happily replied after a moment of pondering. "I enjoy cooking a lot! In fact, I think I should make a Together Breakfast for all of us to share!"

"Didn't the last one try to kill us?" Garnet mentioned, surprising Topaz, before he turned to Pearl regarding this last statement.

"It's a long story, Topaz," Pearl simply said. Topaz just shook his head.

"I'm not sure I want to know."

"As much as that sounds like a good idea, it's the afternoon, Steven," Amethyst half-heartedly reminded Steven.

"Steven, I'm all for breakfast for dinner but we just finished eating. I think you can go another few hours without it," Topaz pointed out. "Is there something else that makes you happy?"

"Well... I like swimming," Steven replied, before Topaz chuckled in response.

"In this town, I'd be shocked if you didn't," Topaz remarked as he clapped his hands together with a smile. "Okay! Swimming anyone?"

* * *

Once everyone agreed on what to do next, Steven went back into the ocean-side house to switch into his bathing suits, while the Gems shape shifted their outfits to matching bathing suits of their own. Garnet wore a one piece red and black swimming suit that still has her star logo on it, Amethyst had a purple tank top, with black shorts, Pearl had a blue bikini top and pale pink shorts, along with a pair of light blue sandals, and Topaz was wearing orange swimming trunks with pink strings and with yellow stars and blue and purple Hawaiian flowers designs. Though Garnet, Amethyst and Topaz all looked calm, Pearl looked a little nervous. She hated wearing her swimsuit, especially when Topaz was around. But luckily for her, Topaz didn't seem to notice very much as they waited for Steven to show up.

"Alright guys, I'm ready!" Steven shouted, as the four looked and saw the young boy had switched to a red swimming trunk and was carrying a floating chair like Garnet had asked.

"Looks like we're all here then. Now let's go and have some fun!" Topaz exclaimed, before he, along with Steven and the other Gems head out to the ocean to have a great time. Topaz fell face first playfully into the water once it was deep enough for him not to fall flat on his face in the dirt, causing Steven and Amethyst to start chuckling while Pearl just face palmed.

So for a little while, Garnet was laying on the floating chair to bathe in the sun's ray as it shifted to the motion of the waves, while Steven, Amethyst and Topaz splashed water at each other. Garnet soon joined in after Amethyst sprayed her with water and she decided to return the favor, with a huge wave of water that ran over Amethyst, sending her under the ocean. But Pearl, however, went to the deep part of the water, with only her head sticking out; she was still quite fluster having to go out with just her swimsuit on. She hated herself in a swimsuit and didn't need any flak from Topaz about it.

'_Just mind your business and everything will be alright,'_ Pearl thought to herself as she calmed herself down, not wanting to draw in any attention to herself.

Topaz then happened to notice that Pearl was all by herself and pretty far out. He was curious and decided to swim out to talk to her, fully aware that it could backfire completely.

"Hey Pearl, what are you doing over here?" Topaz asked her while he was about a foot away from her, startling Pearl and causing her to shape shift into an angelfish to duck under water to get away. Topaz, however, grinned in response upon seeing Pearl's reaction.

"You're not getting away that easily!" Topaz then shape shifted into a flying fish, before he swam off to chase after Pearl.

Undaunted by this, Pearl shape shifted into a koi in an attempt to out-swim Topaz, only for him to respond by shape shifting into a tuna, much to Pearl's dismay, as he was starting to catch up to her.

'_What do I do now?!'_ Pearl thought to herself, unaware that Topaz unexpectedly pulled a fast move, quickly swimming into her path.

"Gotcha! Whoa…" Before Topaz could celebrated, Pearl was unable to stop, causing both of them to collide each other, as they reverted back to their normal forms, before they swam up to get some air.

"Are you alright?" asked a concerned Topaz, as he helped Pearl to swim back to the surface.

"I would be if you haven't chased me," a somewhat irate Pearl retorted, as she and Topaz managed to keep afloat.

"I'll admit, I got carried away back there," Topaz simply said, as he laughed and rubbed his head sheepishly, while he helped Pearl recover from her daze, before a thought occurred to him. "Why weren't you out there having fun out here? It would have been a good time to let loose and be freer."

Pearl didn't respond right away, still trying to regain her composure after hitting her head hard during the chase, recovered long enough for her to realize that Topaz was holding her, causing her to fluster and squirm away from Topaz's grasp.

"If you wanted me to let go, you could have just asked," said an amused Topaz, causing Pearl to blush in response.

"Well Topaz, you see...it's just that...I thought you guys would have more fun without me," Pearl finally answered back, ignoring Topaz's remark.

"Do you want Steven to think that you're not fun?" Topaz questioned Pearl while making a mock sad face.

"I can have fun Topaz, just in my own way," Pearl insisted, before she heard him laughing out loud in response, much to her curiosity. "Alright, what is it this time?"

"You can have fun yet you've done nothing to prove it today," Topaz remarked. "You've changed quite a bit, Pearls," Pearl could feel her eye twitch as Topaz continued. "If you can have fun, prove i-" Topaz was cut off as a splash of water smacked him in the face.

"Does that answer your question?" Pearl asked with a grin, before she started to giggle as Topaz had to wipe his eyes. What she did was so unlike her but she didn't care. For once it actually felt good to do something different.

"Oh, it's on!" Topaz exclaimed, as he splashed some water back at Pearl. Before they know it, the two started to splash water at each other and having a lot fun in the process, just as Steven, Garnet and Amethyst showed up, with Amethyst performing a surprise attack on Topaz, sending them both under the ocean for a brief second. Soon, it was a free for all, as all five splashed water at one another, enjoying the other's company and having a good time as well. Once they were done splashing each other senseless while miraculously not getting saltwater in their eyes or ingesting any of it, the five just hung around in the water, occasionally playing games with Steven to keep him entertained while just talking about random things in between. After what felt like a very long time, the five noticed that the sun was starting to set, as night was starting to approach.

"Looks like it's time to head back," said Topaz, as he, along with Steven and the other Gems swam back to the shore, before the four shape shifted back to their normal attires and made their way back to the ocean-side house.

"Wow that was the best day we ever had!" Steven exclaimed out loud, before he quickly realized something, as he looked down and stare at his gem, disappointed that nothing happened at all. "Oh yeah, that's right! My gem should have glow after all that fun! It should have worked by now!"

"Look on the bright side, Steven; we at least had a good time," Amethyst attempted to lighten him up.

'_Steven's gem glows when he's happy but it must be a specific kind of happy as all that fun didn't produce any results. Hmm…'_ Topaz thought to himself.

"Looks like you and Topaz had a good time," Garnet commented, snapping Topaz back to reality, causing him and Pearl to look at her, as their faces blushed brightly over hearing her words.

"Garnet does have a good point. Maybe this is the right time to let bygones-be-bygones," Amethyst advised.

"Does that really mean you'll forgive Topaz this time?!" Steven asked, as the excitement within him couldn't be contained.

Pearl looked at her friends, before she looked back at a smiling Topaz, uncertain how to respond. She didn't want to forgive him flat out but she could admit that she did believe he was not the same man that was on that cliff all those years ago. The fact that they have a good time did cause her to reconsider her previous views of him. After what felt like an eternity, Pearl took a deep breath before finally responding back.

"I don't want to completely forgive Topaz right away, but I do want to be on good terms with him and start from scratch."

"Then I'll take that as a personal victory," Topaz simply said with a relieved smile, accepting Pearl's answer out of respect. "So does that mean I can move back in without you plotting something sinister in my sleep?"

Irked by his comment, Pearl immediately punched him on the shoulder, as he let out a chuckle in response to her reaction.

"Pearl does seem like the kind of person to pull off something like that," Amethyst joking claimed, as she injected herself to their conversation.

"You're not helping," Pearl scolded her friend, causing everyone else to start to laugh, minus Garnet who just settled for a smile. Pearl eventually caves in and lets a chuckle out herself, while Steven looked on, just happy that Pearl was finally able to let go of her grudge, before he had an idea.

"Guys, I think I know how we should celebrate this! Follow me!"

Steven quickly ran to the ocean-side house, as the other Gems looked at one another, before shrugging their shoulders and followed the eager boy back to the place as well.

* * *

Once they got inside, Steven immediately explained to Topaz on what a Together Breakfast (or Together Dinner depending on who's talking) and what's required to make one. Once he understood Steven's instruction, he, as well as the other Gems, began to make the meal. Garnet put in some waffles in the toaster, while Topaz throws some popcorn bags inside the microwave with Steven's instruction, with Amethyst, Pearl, and Steven get the whip cream, syrup and a strawberry respectfully. Once the waffles were done, Garnet stacked them on a plate, as Topaz added some popcorns on it shortly afterwards, before Pearl put some syrup, followed by Amethyst topping it with whip cream. Steven himself was the last to join in, as he carefully try to put the strawberry in place, before he slowly put it on its rightful position, before he carried the meal for all to see.

"It's done!" Steven exclaimed, before he put the meal on the counter.

"Steven, man, you've got some odd eating habits," Topaz said as he looked uncertainly at the mixed and matched meal they just finished creating. "Where did you come up with such an unusual looking meal?"

"You have to admit, Steven's at least creative with his meals," said Amethyst, as she and everyone else took a seat at the counter. Topaz, though, continued to stare at the unusual looking meal, still uncertain if he should even eat it, something that Steven noticed right away.

"Don't be shy, Topaz. Just take a bite and let us know what you think," Steven insisted. Pearl then cut everyone a portion and handed them out. Topaz picked up his fork after looking at it for a moment before finally taking a bite.

"So Topaz, how does it taste?" asked Amethyst, as Topaz shrugged and nodded.

"It's pretty good. Definitely one of the strangest things I've eaten but it's also pretty tasty," Topaz replied, as he took another bite.

"I'm glad you enjoyed that," Steven said with a smile, before he and the other Gems began to eat the meal as well. They talked a little at the meal about more things that really didn't matter to anyone but it did make them all feel relaxed. Even better, nothing strange happened for a change; no monsters, no bizarre location, nothing. It was simply just a normal day in their town.

* * *

The rest of the day went on with nothing bizarre happening that require their attention. No killer islands, no flying sharks, no unidentifiable pieces of walking dog doodoo. They simply tried out ways to get Steven's weapon to appear, with inconsistent results. Sometimes it would glow brightly; other times, they wouldn't even get a glimmer. Night eventually came to Beach City, as everyone was calling it for the day until tomorrow came around the corner. But while everybody in town where sleeping peacefully on their beds at the comfort of their home, it was another story at the ocean-side house; once Pearl was certain that everyone, including Steven, had decided to go to bed, she went out to the dock, intending to stretch her arms and get some fresh air, until she spotted Topaz swimming in the ocean, much to her surprise.

'_What could he be doing out here this late at night?'_ Pearl though, before she called out from the dock. "Topaz, care to explain why you're taking a late night swim?"

As soon as she shouted, Topaz stopped what he was doing and saw Pearl on the docks, much to his surprise, before he formed a smile and answered back.

"Thanks to you guys, I remembered how much I love swimming, especially at this time! The sky looks so peaceful up there this late at night!" it was then that a thought occurred in Topaz's mind. "So Pearl, want to join me?" Pearl was unsure but eventually just gave in because she knew that Topaz would just keep bugging her till she finally did cave.

"...Sure, I don't see the harm in it," a hesitant Pearl answered, before she shape shifted into her bathing suit and lowered herself into the ocean to join up with Topaz. However, it was a bit dark for her to see where she was going, aside from the moon being the only known source of light, before she realize that Topaz was nowhere to be seen.

'_Now where did he go?'_ Pearl thought to herself, not realizing that the one person she was looking for was swimming right behind her, slowly approaching the unsuspecting Crystal Gem, before giving her the biggest scare ever.

"Boo!" Topaz exclaimed, scaring Pearl senselessly, as she splashed some water in his direction out of retaliation. Topaz then swam away again underwater as Pearl chased after him as best she could.

"You're going to get it!" Pearl shouted, as she continued to swim after Topaz. But when she finally caught up to where she thought he would be. As she looked, she found that he was nowhere to be found, much to her surprise.

'_Where are you this time?'_ Pearl wondered, as she failed to notice a certain yellow Gem slowly swimming his way up towards her, until he positioned himself and repeated the same move he made not so long ago.

"Boo!" Topaz exclaimed, but what happened next didn't bode so well for him. As soon as Pearl got spooked once more, she proceeded to punch him right between the eyes, completely knocking him out, as he slowly sank under the water.

"Oh no, I'm not falling for that one again," Pearl insisted, as she waited patiently for Topaz to rise up from the water. But after a minute or two, it became apparent that he wasn't going to rise up anytime soon, much to horror.

"Oh my god! What I have done?!" a panicking Pearl exclaimed, before she quickly dove underwater to search for Topaz. She even turned into an anglerfish to help her see him. After a few more minutes of diving, Pearl rose up, more freaked out than ever, as Topaz was nowhere to be found.

"Where can he be?! I swear, if something bad happens to him, I'll-" in the middle of her own rant, a figure immediately burst out of the water and latched onto her waist, taking Pearl by complete surprise.

"Boo," the moment Topaz whispered the word in her ear, Pearl screamed out the top of her lung, before Topaz laughed his head off upon seeing her reaction.

"You should have seen the look on your face! That was comedy gold right there!"

"Topaz, you jerk!" Pearl scolded him, as she quickly released herself from his grasp. "I thought something terrible happen to you! I can't believe you would do that!"

"Alright Pearl, I'm sorry for freaking you out," Topaz defensively said, as Pearl managed to calm down, while he rubbed his face. "You've really been working your hook since I've been gone."

"At least I know that you're alive and well," said Pearl, before she proceeded to slug him in the chest, causing Topaz to laugh harder.

"If this happened three days ago, I probably would receive more than one punch," he jokingly commented, before he and Pearl made their way back to the shore.

"Oh, knock it off already," Pearl deadpanned, as she playfully punched Topaz on the arm, much to his amusement.

"You're really a violent little gemstone, you know that?" Topaz remarked.

Before Pearl knew what happened, Topaz started to laugh and for some reason, she started to laugh with him, completely ignoring what happened at the ocean a while back. After laughing for such a long time, the two managed to calm themselves down, before shape shifting back to their normal attires.

"We should probably get back to the temple," Peal suggested.

"Good idea, but do you want to do this again?" asked Topaz.

"Sure, but on one condition: you never pull something like that again. I've gotten enough spooks from you for one day," Pearl sternly informed Topaz.

"Fair enough," Topaz agreed, as the two walked right back to the ocean-side house. But once they arrived back inside, the two found themselves greeted by Garnet and Amethyst, both standing right in front of them, before the former spoke up.

"How was your swim?"

"I've bet you two had some fun out there," Amethyst spoke with a hint of slyness. Pearl was just going to pretend she didn't hear any of that.

"Quite painful," Topaz said as he rubbed his face where Pearl delivered her first punch. "Though you could have probably heard her from Mars," Topaz joked, adding to Pearl's annoyance.

"Only because he kept scaring me all night!" Pearl retorted to her friends, causing them to laugh in response.

"Oh man, I wish I was there to see it!" Amethyst stated out loud, before she noticed Pearl glaring at her. "Alright, I'll stop with the laughter."

"If anyone needs me, you know where to find me," Topaz simply said, letting out a big yawn and stretching his arms out, before making his way to the temple door and swap the gem recognizer around, allowing him to enter, as he made his way to his bedroom, leaving just Pearl, Garnet and Amethyst in the ocean-side house.

"So how are you feeling?" Garnet finally asked.

"Looks like you and Topaz are getting along much better now," Amethyst noted.

"We are…though I have no idea why he's pushing his luck and my patience so early," an irate Pearl spoke.

"Lighten up Pearl. He's just being his usual self," Amethyst commented. "Though it is nice to finally see him actually enjoying himself than looking all glum like he had been."

"I know that, it's just…" Pearl trialed off, uncertain how to respond back, something Garnet noticed right away.

"You've still haven't forgiven him, have you?" Garnet deduced.

"...I still haven't, especially after what happened," Pearl finally admitted. "Though I thought I was clear about that earlier. Also what he pulled a bit ago wasn't helping."

"Can't you let it go already? What happened in the past is a long time ago," Amethyst was quite irked to hear Pearl's admission.

"It's not that simple, Amethyst…" Pearl began, as she took a deep breath and sighed. "I can't just make it disappear just like that. The least thing I could do is just give Topaz one more chance. Now if you don't mind, I'm heading back to my room."

With that said, Pearl made her way back inside the temple for a good night sleep, while Garnet and Amethyst looked at one other, both expressing concern looks for their friend.

* * *

Pearl made her way to the water plumes, as it rose up to allow her to make her way to her bedroom, before she sat on the highest water plum, using her gem to project the memories of that unfortunate incident, replaying it several times to see what went wrong. But no matter how hard she tried, she is unable to hold back her tears as she saw herself breaking up with Topaz on the spot and more so when she saw and her brother Emerald hanging out with each other likes the best buds they were. Pearl watched all the events until she finally couldn't stand to watch another second of it and she finally broke down into her hands.

"Topaz… why didn't I give you a chance…?"

**A/N Poor Pearl… Obviously she realizes that she screwed up but how long will it take for her to admit it? Good news: I do know… What were you expecting spoilers? I'm offended! Kidding but all things considered this shouldn't go on for… too much longer.**

**Topaz is now back to how he used to be… more or less. Trickster returns! ...sort of. **

**Also I might as well get it out of the way now: No. Steven won't be getting his weapon as I have no idea how exactly he triggers it. I just went with the common fan answer.**

**One thing I kept forgetting to put in my author notes in chapters before but as of last chapter should be pretty obvious: Topaz is Northern United States in standard speech but is also a fan of certain French things… like the language and as you'll read in the next chapter something that is of French origin. He's also a fan of Japanese things as well, like their katanas. Though English and French are the only languages I'm giving him.**

**Guest Reviews, huh? Well let's see what we've got:**

**TJL12345:(Sorry in advance for rambling) you're welcome and your suggestion has been duly noted and placed appropriately for further expansion. I'll discuss it with Star at a later date when we actually get around to planning this.**

**I'm also glad you think I've made the better story though I have to say that Noah too has made a great work. Though it's funny. We've both read each other's work. Neither of us had told the other that fact or what we thought of it… directly anyway… Except me I wrote a review of the first chapter and just never got around to making reviews for the rest as I'm a bit lazy like that. I found out through Noah's author note of all places answering YOUR review of all people. **

**And finally Nay eh? That's respectable and brings the tally with two yay (Neo changed his and Wolfy) and one nay (you).**

**I'd tell you what the story of it would be but that would spoil plot crucial elements as the lemon would require this story to make sense but this story doesn't need the lemon to make sense so it's strictly a one way connection. Basically a deleted scene if you will. This is why Neo voted nay because he'd thought I was going to put the lemon in Return From Limbo itself, not a separate story altogether. I would never do that for two reasons: **

**1: The rating. I don't need, or even want to make this an M rated story just because of one chapter. That would be stupid for me to do! If I were to put a lemon into the story itself, I would have labeled it much earlier as such and made this story a freaking blood bath… with a decent plot and attempts at good characters. 2: Fewer headaches. Since the lemon idea requires the main story but the main story doesn't require it, I don't really have to worry about it flat out sucking and draining the life out of the main story. I can always just go on the excuse that it's a deleted scene. Saves me the headaches…**

**Hope that covers everything TJL. **

**I ramble with the best of them! So next chapter will most likely be at the scheduled date two weeks from this chapter UNLESS I feel generous for some unknown reason. Till next time, Sal out!**


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